How Do I Get There?
by KLafferty6
Summary: The worst way to miss someone, is to be sitting right next to them, knowing you can't have them. 6 Best Friends, no secrets. Except Haley's love for Nathan. eventual Naley, with other possible as of 21107
1. Six Parts of a Whole

**_Okay, so I know this is probably the LAST thing I should be doing, starting a new story when I already have one in progress. Slaps Hand " Bad Kristen!" Alright, so now that we've gotten that out of the way, I shall continue with the summary of my new story. So I know there are A LOT of Naley best friend stories out right now (honestly, they're my favorite stories to read) and usually I write focusing mainly on Jeyton, but I'm going through some stuff right now and this is the product. Usually I base my writing off of episodes I wanted to change or episodes I wanted to add on to, but this story is lightly based off things going on with me. I promise I'll keep the characters the same as on OTH, the story line will just be slightly altered. Now that I've rambled, Let me introduce you to my new story, "How Do I Get There?" _**

_**FYI: First chapter is mostly introduction and the majority of the story will be told in Haley's POV. Enjoy!**_

It has always been the six of us. I honestly can't think back to a time when I didn't have my five friends to turn to. The funny thing is, we're all so different that it amazes people that we're even friends, but that's the best part, without one of us, none of us would be complete. We were all six parts to a whole.

I guess it would be easiest to introduce you to myself first. My name is Haley James, and basically, what you see is what you get. I'm pretty much Plain Jane. I'm, what I like to call, "vertically challenged", standing all of 5'4", light brown hair, and honey colored eyes. I'm proud to be the nerd of the group. I'm the head tutor at the tutoring center at our high school and I love it. I love seeing the light go on when a fellow student finally gets something I'm teaching. My junior year, I became a cheerleader (against my will I might add) and I'd die before admitting I actually enjoy it. I like to sing too, but my voice is reserved strictly for my shower head.

Next I guess would be Lucas Scott. We were literally, destined to be best friends. Our mom's were best friends in high school and have been ever since, so Luke and I were brought up together. As weird as it is for me to say, Lucas is undeniably handsome. He's tall, sandy blonde hair, light blue eyes. Yeah, he's definitely a looker. Lucas is the brooder of the group, he reads a lot, and when he's not reading, he's playing basketball. He's amazing at basketball, it runs in the family. Lucas lives next door to me with his mom, Karen and his adoptive father, Keith.

I forgot to mention something else about Luke, when he's not reading, brooding or ballin'; he's with his girlfriend, another best friend of mine, Brooke Davis. From the outside looking in, Brooke is your typical spoiled, rich, "so pretty she makes me sick" cheerleading captain. And while, she is undeniably all of these things, Brooke has an amazing heart that she doesn't tend to let anyone else but, us, see. On top of her great heart, Brooke has looks that I would kill for. Dark hair to match her mysterious dark eyes, a smile to light up a room, and a body most girls envy and every guy dreams about. She's the peppy one of the group, the silver lining if you will, often referred to as "Cheery", "Tigger", or "Brooke, shut the hell up!" She is the reason I am a cheerleader. She is the reason Lucas Scott, Mr. Broody himself, has a permanent smile on his face. She is also the reason for a lot of the harmless trouble the six of us have caused.

Next is Peyton Sawyer, kind of broody like Lucas, but more in an artistic way. Peyton's looks often contradict her personality. She's tall, skinny, head full of gorgeous golden curls, and hypnotizing hazel eyes. I would be lying if I told you Peyton weren't a complicated girl. You know how in Shrek, he talks about how Ogres are like onions because they have a lot of layers? Well Peyton is a big ass onion, but not without good reason. When Peyton was nine (about two years after we became friends) her mom was killed in a car accident. This left Peyton kind of messed up, especially with her dad having to be gone all the time for his job. Luckily, Peyton had the five of us to fall back on. Peyton joined the cheer squad our sophomore year, partly because Brooke relentlessly begged her, and partly because her mom was a cheerleader when she was in high school. She's an AMAZING artist and you'll never find her without a sketchbook.

Notice how I didn't mention anything about Peyton having a boyfriend? Well, that's because she doesn't. But she might as well be dating Jake Jagelski, the fifth part of the puzzle. Jake is handsome too, but in a simple kind of way. He's got cute shaggy hair, sweet brown eyes, and is athletically built. Jake is kind of a hard guy to classify. I mean, Lucas broods, Brooke cheers, Peyton draws, I tutor, but Jake, he's just…Jake. I guess the most important information about him is that he has an 18 month old daughter. You see, from the end of our freshman year through about the middle of our sophomore year, Jake was dating a senior named Nikki. None of us were really big fans of Nikki, but we tolerated her because Jake loved her. Then we found out Nikki was pregnant and for a while, Jake was a mess, but he's a good guy so he handled his responsibility, Nikki, however, didn't. She took off two weeks after their daughter, Jennifer Nicole Jagelski, was born. We all expected her to come back, try to fix things with Jake, but she never did. So we all collectively helped in raising Jenny, but no one more so than Peyton. She and Jake have this connection that no one can deny and it's only time before the two stop beating around the bush and tell each other how they feel.

And finally, the sixth member, the last part of the whole. Nathan Scott. Yeah, that's right, Scott. You see, Lucas and Nathan are half brothers. In high school their ass of a father, Dan Scott, got Luke's mom pregnant, and then dumped her. Then his freshman year in college, he got Nathan's mom, Deb, pregnant. Attempting to appease the karma gods, Dan married Deb, and shortly after Nathan was born. When Nathan was two, Karen and Deb ran into each other, automatically clicked, and decided it was only right for their boys to know each other. However, Daddy Dan didn't like this and he threatened Deb with a divorce if he continued to talk to Karen, the next day, the divorce papers were drawn up and Deb got custody of Nathan. Dan still sees his boys, trying to pressure them about basketball and life in general, but for the most part, he stays in the background. And oh yeah, Lucas' adoptive dad, Keith, is Dan's older brother. Kind of a screwed up family, huh?

Anyways, let's get back to Nathan. What to say about Nathan? He's definitely the jock of the group, as talented as Lucas is at basketball, it's undeniable that Nathan has three times the talent than that of his older brother. He also got the good looks gene that his brother got, because he is the heart throb of Tree Hill High. Nathan stands a proud 6'2", raven black hair, piercing blue eyes, and the body of a God. I would be lying if I said I didn't find Nathan attractive, but then again, who doesn't? Nathan builds up walls to the rest of the world, puts on a façade for his dad and the guys on the team. But the Nathan we know is different. He's the guy that stands up for his big brother, the guy that protects the three of us girls to no end, the guy who voluntarily baby sits Jenny with me, enduring hours of cartoons just to hang out with me and his "niece", he's Nathan Scott. And he's the guy I'm completely in love with, but, ya know, he doesn't know that.

_**Okay…so, what did everyone think? Reviews are always appreciated and remember, this is just the introductory Chapter.**_


	2. New Beginnings

**_So hopefully I have a couple people reading this, if not, it's cool. I'm still going to post because I love to write, but I do hope this story means something to someone. Anyways, here's the second chapter. Thanks to Nathanlvr23!_**

_**At Haley's House**_

It was our first day of senior year, and just like every other year, Peyton and Brooke slept over the night before so we could get ready together in the morning. Jake and Lucas spent the night with Nathan to do the same. The morning of school, we'd all meet at Karen's Café to eat breakfast, talk about how the following year is going to be so much better than the one before, and then we would all walk the four blocks to school together.

This year was no different than the others, except that Brooke is a little more weepy than usual.

"You guys!" she whines as she perfectly applies her eyeliner, "Can you believe this is our senior year? I mean, when we graduate in May, that means no mean no more high school!"

"Yeah Brookie, that's usually how graduation works." I say, receiving a pouty glare from Brooke before she continues.

"You know what I mean. Seriously, think about it, after graduation, we have the summer and then what? We all go to college, who knows what's going to happen or who's going to end up where!" Tears glistening in her eyes as she turns to me, her face signifying that she is serious.

"Brooke," I say, throwing my arm around her shoulders, "It's the FIRST day of school! Which means we have like…a lot more before we graduate. So why don't you just enjoy it and revel in the fact that you are a Senior! Aren't you excited for your first day at school? New lockers, new schedules, the smell of new notebooks?" I ask, trying to be as enthusiastic as possible, I even throw on my cheerleader smile for good measures.

"Tutor Girl, I think you are the only person that actually gets excited about school because of academic reasons."

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused by her statement. Who doesn't get excited about the first day of school?

"What I think she means," says Peyton, never once looking up from whatever tragically dark picture she's sketching, "is that when most people get excited about the first day of school, it's because they get a new wardrobe or because they get to see their crush, or…"

"Is that why you get excited for school, P. Sawyer? 'Cause you get to see Jakey-poo?" Brooke asks her with a raised eyebrow. I can't help but stifle a laugh at Brooke's nickname for Jake. Peyton's face flushes a light pink before she recovers and jokingly sends Brooke an obscene hand gesture.

"No, actually. I get excited about the first day of school because it means that I have one less day that I have to go there!" Peyton exclaims as she climbs off my bed, throwing her sketch pad in her messenger bag on her way to check her make up one more time.

"Well I, for one, am excited about getting new freshman to tutor!" I say excitedly as I join the other two in front of my vanity mirror. Brooke and Peyton both roll their eyes in the mirror.

"Nerd." They both say before laughing.

"Roll your eyes all you want girls, but when you're both failing Pre-Cal and in need of my help, you'll be glad that your best friend is such a nerd." I say sweetly back. "Remember that."

"Yeah, yeah, Tutor girl, enough lecturing. Let's go so the guys don't complain that we're late." Brooke says, adjusting her backpack on her shoulders.

Peyton laughs as she laces her Chucks. "Brooke. You have NEVER worried about being late." I shake my head in complete agreement with Peyton. Brooke is always the last one ready.

"It's a new year, so I'm trying new things, like not being late." Brooke says with complete confidence.

"HA!" I say, making my way down the stairs, Peyton and Brooke behind me.

"Careful Haley James or I'll be trying out a new best friend!" She exclaims, walking through the door I'm holding open, pinching my cheek when she sees the fake look of hurt on my face.

"Come on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb, let's get going." Peyton calls from the end of the side walk.

I turn around and lock the door, then I skip down the sidewalk to link arms with Peyton, Brooke attaching herself onto my other arm.

_**At Karen's Café**_

Lucas looked at his watch for what seemed the 50th time in 5 minutes.

"Luke, they'll be here, ok? They still have a good ten minutes." Nathan says, slapping his brother playfully on the back. "Chill out man."

"I am chill, Nate. It's just that Brooke said she'd be here early." As soon as the words left his mouth, Nathan and Jake begin to laugh. Lucas sending both of them a curious glare.

"What?"

When Jake finally gains a little composure, he looks at Lucas. "You do know what you just said right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Luke, Brooke Davis would be late to her own funeral. A watch is about as useful to that girl as a screen door on a submarine." Nathan says before bursting into another round of laughter.

"You guys, come on. Give the girl some credit." Luke says defensively.

"Yeah, give the girl some credit, I'm five minutes early." Brooke says as she walks up to the booth the boys are occupying. She leans down to give Luke a kiss and then sends a satisfied smirk to Nathan and Jake who have suddenly become fascinated with the scratches in the table.

"Morning boys!" I say as I scoot into the booth next to Nathan, who is looking _exceptionally_ fine today in his baby blue polo and khaki shorts.

"Morning Haley." Jake says as he hugs Peyton, who slides into the booth between me and Jake.

"Hey Hales. Ready for your last, first day of high school?" Nathan asks me as he pulls me towards him and places a kiss on my forehead. _God, if only that boy knew what he is doing to me._ Nathan has always been affectionate with me. It's something I've gotten used to, but damn him if it doesn't put butterflies in my stomach every time he's near me.

"Ugh! Can we please not have the whole 'first day of school' conversation again?" Peyton says half jokingly, half grumpily as she reaches for a menu, even though we all know what we're ordering.

"Calm down Goldilocks. Just because you're anti-school doesn't mean the rest of us are." Brooke quips, sticking her tongue out at Peyton.

"Alright girls, play nice." Karen says as she walks up to our table.

"Morning Mom." says Luke as he reaches up to give Karen a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Morning Luke. Kids. Are you guys ready for your first day of Senior year?" she asks expectantly. All of us look at Peyton who playfully slaps her palm to her forehead, causing the rest of us to laugh.

"Yeah Karen, we're ready." I say, poking Peyton in the side causing her to twitch and scoot further towards Jake, who instinctively wraps his arm around her waist. HaHa, those two are _SO_ meant to be.

"Great, so I'm guessing everyone wants the usual?" Karen asks mostly out of consideration. Of course we want the usual; it would be breaking tradition if we didn't.

"Yes." We all exclaim at the same time, causing all six of us to go into another round of laughter. Soon after that, we all got our food, ate and then sat there chatting for a few minutes.

I look at my watch. "Okay you guys, I hate to exhibit my nerdiness, but we need to start heading to school." We all stand up from the table, thank Karen for the breakfast, and then make our way out the door.

We all stand around outside, facing each other. For a minute, it's pretty quiet, I think everyone is thinking about what we're about to start. Our senior year. Our last year together. The last chapter of our high school life.

"Let's do this." Says Peyton, breaking our silent revelry. She links arms between Brooke and me, and we begin our way to school the boys following closely behind.

**_Hope everyone liked it. The amount of reviews I got for the intro chapter alone blows me away! Thank you guys SO much!_**


	3. Dirty Little Secret

_**I L-O-V-E my reviewers, you guys completely amaze me! Thanks! This next chapter is for all of you!**_

So we've arrived in front of our school and we all probably look like idiots. We're just standing here, one line of six teenagers, staring at the school like we've never seen it before. I can't help but smile to myself, we're all such melodramatic dorks.

"Okay you guys. Are we going to stand here all day or are we actually going in to get our learn on?" I ask, eyeing my five best friends excitedly. And they start to laugh. Not quite the reaction I was going for, but at least now I know they're not mutes.

"What?" Peyton chokes out between giggles.

"'Get our learn on'? Where do you get things like that, Haley?" Lucas asks as he attempts to calm his laughter.

"Oh, shut up you guys, you know what I mean!" I turn around in a huff and start marching up to the door. I smirk quickly as I hear footsteps running to catch up to me. HA! I knew one of them had to love me!

"C'mon Hales! We were just messing with you. You know we want to 'get our learn on'!" Nathan says wrapping his arm around me as he stifles a laugh.

"Very funny Nate. You think you're SO cute!" I say, a fake pout settling across my face.

"Oh no, no, no, my dear Haley, I don't _think_ I'm cute, I **_know_** I'm cute!" He says, looking down at me with a sexy smirk. And I mean, damn, I can't disagree with him can I? But in the spirit of things, I muster up a comeback that will make him think twice before teasing Haley James…

"Yeah well…shut up!" _Oh yeah, nice, H.James, you sure told him. Welcome back to kindergarten; would you like a booster seat or a high chair?_

"Alright then, if you two are done, let's get going. The girls and I have cheer auditions!" Brooke says as she bounces away, dragging me and Peyton with her.

Brooke, Peyton and I all get settled in the auditorium to watch girls audition for the open spot on the squad. Brooke is babbling on and on about how this is her favorite time of year and she can't wait for competition and blah blah blah blah blah blah…

"…And, Oh My God! The Sparkle Classic this year is going to kick major ass! I can totally feel it! We're going to make Claire Whats-her-face wish she hadn't been such a biatch to me at Cheer camp!" Brooke says, and contently plasters an evil smirk on her face.

"Brooke, that was in 8th grade! And she was only mean to you because she caught you making out with her boyfriend." Peyton exclaims, slightly slapping Brooke on the thigh.

"Yeah well, she should've paid more attention to him. Besides, she…"

And as I sit there, smiling, pretending to be listening; I'm actually making a mental list of goals for this year. Yeah I'm a nerd, so sue me! Anyways, back to my list.

**I want all of my tutees to pass every subject I tutor them in.**

**I want to graduate Valedictorian. **

**And…I want to tell Nathan how I feel about him. **

_Ha! Yeah, right! Like that is EVER going to happen! I mean, telling Nathan wouldn't be so hard. He's my best friend, I can tell him anything. It's just the thought of him laughing his rejection in my face after I tell him. I'm not too keen on that idea. As much as I would love for him to shyly admit he's loved me for the past five years too, I don't see it happening that way._

I scoff quietly, but apparently not quiet enough because Peyton and Brooke turn and look at me like I have a third head or something.

"You okay there girly?" Peyton asks, pretending to check my head for a fever. I lightly swat at her hand and nervously adjust my shirt.

"Yeah, I was just, ya know that Claire girl, she's such a hussy." I blurt out, not quite as confidently as I had hoped for.

Brooke smiles a crooked smile, which, just so you know, is NEVER a good thing when it comes to Brooke Davis.

"What are you smirking at Davis?" I ask irritably.

"Well for one, I totally agree that Claire should win Slut of the Year, but, it's just that, we ended that conversation like, five minutes ago Day Dream Girl. What were YOU thinking about?" Her and Peyton both turn to me expectantly. _Uh Oh._ _What do I say? These are my best friends, they're going to know if I'm lying. Um…maybe I can fake an asthma attack. Yeah that would be great if only I HAD asthma. Think, Haley, think._

"I, uh, um, well I was just…" and before I can stammer out the rest of my incoherent sentence, I am miraculously saved by our first audition. _Thank you, I will now proceed to worship the ground you walk on. _I turn to face my rescuer, a gracious smile spread across my face. And then, it drops.

"Rachel." I growl through my teeth. I guess I should introduce her. Rachel Gatina, ladies and gentleman, is what we at Tree Hill like to call a conniving little…oh, haha, that's what I call her, never mind. Anyways, Rachel transferred in from California towards the middle of our Junior year, and she immediately try going after Lucas, and after all six of us made it VERY clear to her that he was with Brooke, she moved on. Want to take a guess at who her next pick was? If you guessed Nathan, then…

**_Ding! Ding! Ding! Let me tell you what you've won._**

Apparently Rachel just had to have a Scott boy, so she went for Nathan. My Nathan. Of course, no one knows he's my Nathan, but that's completely beside the point. At first, Nathan let it roll of his back, not giving her the time of day, but I can see that he's slowly giving into temptation. _Damn Rachel._

"Gee Haley, nice to see you too." She sneers, sending me a smile so fake, even a pawn shop wouldn't buy it from her.

"What can we do for you, Rach-ho?" Brooke snaps. Brooke still hates Rachel for trying to steal Lucas. I put my hand over my face to cover my laugh. _Note to self: hug Brooke later for being a bitch._

Rachel laughs sarcastically. "Cute nickname, **_BROKE._**"

"OOOKAYY, ladies. Let's retract the claws and get on with it." Peyton says. She doesn't really like Rachel, but doesn't have anything against her personally. "Rachel, stand on your mark and I'll start the music."

"Oh, well I have my own music for my audition…if that's okay." She says as she skips up to the CD player, puts the CD in, and skips back to the marker. Brooke eye's her with a raised eyebrow and pushes the play button. After a few seconds, the BWitched version of "Hey Mickey" comes blaring through the boombox.

I scoff, leaning towards Brooke. "Could she be any more 'Bring It On'?" Brooke rolls her eyes in agreement as we both turn our attention to Rachel's audition. I hate to admit it, but it's pretty good. She finishes with a back hand spring as the music stops and then looks at us expectantly.

"We'll, uh, we'll be in touch with you Rachel." Brooke says shortly as she hands Rachel her CD.

"Whatever." Rachel says with a smirk and walks away.

I scoot down further in my chair and turn to Peyton and Brooke for their reactions. Brooke is in a similar position, except she's still glaring at Rachel's back, and Peyton has a "you have to admit she was good" look on her face that I just want to smack off.

"So…" I hesitantly say.

"So what? She was awesome you guys, you have to admit it." Peyton says. _I told you, I should've smacked her._ "We have to do what's best for the squad…Captain?"

"What? Peyton, she's not nice." Brooke whines, avoiding eye contact with Peyton at all costs.

"Brooke…" Peyton says in a motherly tone.

"Ugh! Fine, whatever. But she better stay the hell away from Lucas." She says pouting.

"And Nathan." _Damn. I just said that out loud. _As expected, Peyton and Brooke turn to me with that same look on their faces.

"What? I'm just saying. Nathan's one of my best friends, I just don't want her messing with him, that's all." I stutter out maybe a little too quickly. Brooke and Peyton just give me a knowing nod while they start to pack up the audition equipment. I sit there slumped in my chair. _Great. So now I get to watch Nathan and Rachel undress each other with their eyes everytime we have practice or a game. Oh Boy. _I throw my head back, and glance up at the ceiling. _It's going to be a LONG year._

**_So I hope you guys liked it! I know there wasn't much Naley, but I promise, I'm getting to it. It's turning out to be a pretty long story, but I hope you guys stick around to read it! Thanks again! And please review, they keep me going:) _**


	4. Scheduled Opportunities

_**WOW…just…WOW! You guys absolutely AMAZE me! I am seriously overwhelmed by the amounts of reviews I've gotten! Thank you guys sooooo much! It means so much to me!**_

Despite the whole "Rachel is a whore" situation we just went through, I can't help but be giddy as the three of us walk down the hall towards our respective homerooms, where we'll be assigned our lockers in the _SENIOR HALL, _we'll get our schedules, and then I'll get a new set of tutees. I let out a small squeal of excitement, which receives a playful eye roll from Brooke and Peyton. Brooke and I say goodbye to Peyton, who's off to homeroom with Nathan and Lucas. Brooke and I continue down the hall, chatting excitedly about senior year and all of the activities it entails. We reach homeroom, where Jake has already saved our seats. The three of us have always been in the same homeroom and Peyton's always been with the Scotts, since it's alphabetical. We sit down, Brooke in front of Jake and I to his left. We make small talk as we wait for the bell to ring and our first day of senior year to officially begin.

"Oh my God, Haley! I am SO making our prom dresses this year!" Brooke exclaims. Her randomness causing Jake to chuckle and shake his head. I laugh along with him.

"Brooke, prom is like, nine months away. We still have a while."

"Yeah but Haley, if we're going to be the most gorgeous girls at prom, which, of course, we are, then we need to prepare early." Brooke says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. It's time like these that I have learned it's easiest to just agree with her, in hopes that she'll skip to another subject.

"Whatever you say Brooke." I say with a wave of dismissal.

"Exactly!" she says with a satisfied smile. "Hey Jake. Did you see the Guardian? Aston Kutcher is such a hottie! I mean, don't tell Lucas, but…" As I watch Jake struggle between acting interested in what Brooke is rambling about and trying to wrap his head around how the hell she went from prom dresses to Ashton Kutcher; I allow myself to sink back into my daydreams. Now that Brooke mentioned prom, ideas begin floating through my head. _Maybe Nathan will ask me to prom. I mean, Brooke is obviously going with Lucas, and Peyton and Jake will probably go together, so maybe Nate will need me to be his date…yeah, right! Like Nathan Scott is really going to have a hard time finding a prom date! Don't kid yourself H.James! _

"Haley! Hello, earth to Tutor Girl!" Brooke shouts, stirring me from my thoughts.

"Jeez, Brooke! Could you be any louder?" I ask, grabbing the bag of M&M's out of her hand and popping a few in my mouth.

"Well if you hadn't drifted off to Tutor Girl Land I wouldn't have to be loud."

"Although she probably still would be." Jake mutters, receiving a slap in the arm from Brooke.

"Ow! Damn Brooke! Where did you learn to hit like that?" Jake asks, soothing his reddened arm by rubbing it.

She shrugs and smirks suggestively. "Lucas likes it rough."

_Oh…my…God…I need bleach to wash that image out of my head. Ew._

"Alrighty then." I say, slowly handing Brooke the bag of M&M's. "I've lost my appetite for the moment."

"For the moment? I don't think I'll ever eat again! She just smacked me with the hand that she uses to…Ugh! Brooke! Why?" Jakes asks as he shudders and, despite my discomfort with the subject, I can't help but laugh along with Brooke.

"Sorry Basketball Dad, but you asked." Brooke says simply before turning in her seat to face the front as Mrs. Miller, our homeroom teacher, begins talking.

"Good morning, everyone! And welcome to your first day of Senior…" she stops mid sentence and turns to face the person stumbling through the door. Everyone's gaze follows Mrs. Millers to see who's already causing a scene.

"Sorry I'm late." Says…_Rachel? What the hell is she doing in here? Its bad enough I had to see her this morning, but twice within the hour? What did I do to deserve this?_

"Not a good start, Ms. Gatina. Please take a seat so that I may continue." Rachel nods and takes the seat behind me with a giggle.

"As I was saying," Mrs. Miller says with a pointed eye on Rachel. "Welcome to your senior year. I know most of you and I know you all have amazing potential to succeed. Now throughout the year…"

"Blah, Blah, Blah." Rachel mumbles behind me. I turn around just enough to see Rachel applying a couple more pounds of make up.

"Hey Rach!" I say with the sweetest of smiles I can muster. "Could you like, shut up?"

"Sure Hales!" She says, returning the sarcastic smile I threw her. I seethe at the fact that she uses my nickname. Everyone knows only Nathan calls me Hales.

"Listen here, Rach-HO…"

"Ms. James, Ms, Gatina? Is there a problem?" Mrs. Miller asks from the front. My face flushes over as I feel everyone's eyes on me. I can see Brooke snickering out of the corner of my eye. _Note to self: Smack Brooke later. _

"No not at all Mrs. Miller. I was just telling **_HALES_** here how good it is to see her again." Rachel says, the sweetness in her voice so thick, I'm hoping she'll choke on it.

"Alright then…" **RING. **First bell. _Yes! No more Rachel, No more Rachel. _As we walk out the door, Mrs. Miller hands us all our schedules and locker assignments, I step out the door only to collide with something that's as hard as a brick wall.

"Oomph." I grunt out as I feel my feet coming from under me. And then, there's a strong grip of two large hands around my waist. I don't even have to question who my rescuer is. His hands fit so well against my hips it's like they were molded to go there. I look up, intense, smiling blue eyes meeting my startled brown.

"Hey Hales, Have a nice trip?" Nathan asks with a smirk as he steadies my feet on the floor, his hands lingering on either side of my waist, sending heated tingling feelings all through my body.

"You are oh-so funny Nate. I wouldn't have fallen if you wouldn't have been standing in the way." I say, mirroring his smirk and maintaining eye contact. _Wow, I could get lost in those ice blue eyes he has…_

"Oh you know you wanted to run into me Haley. Any excuse for you to touch me." I blush at his words, and recover quickly, hoping he doesn't notice the effect he has on me.

"Well it's good that you don't think too high of yourself." I quip sarcastically. He throws his head back to laugh, exposing the sensitive skin of his neck, and expanding his broad chest. He looks back at me, leans in and whispers in my ear.

"You know you want me James." _Hell yes I do! _I think to myself. Of course I can't really just say that, so I come up with the next best thing.

"Oh yeah. I want you, I need you. Oh baby, Oh baby." I say deadpanned, quoting one of my favorite movies. Nathan nods with a smile, acknowledging my obvious sarcasm.

"Deny it all you want Haley James, but we both know you can't resist me." _Oh, if only he knew how true his words are. _I should be used to his words, this banter is everyday conversation between me and Nathan, but I can't help the racing feeling I get in my heart every time he's near me.

"I think it's you that can't resist me, Mr. Scott." He gives me a confused look so a briefly look down to where his hands are securely placed on my hips. I look back up at him with a "now what have you got to say" look.

He lets out a gruff, sexy laugh from the back of his throat. "Okay, you win. **_TODAY_**…but don't get used to it." He removes his hands from my hips and I try my best to hide my disappointment at the sudden emptiness I feel from the absences of his touch.

"So Scott…Where's your locker?" I ask trying to change the subject to something a little bit more platonic friendly.

"Umm 1406. You?" He asks, looking over my shoulder at my locker assignment.

"…1405?" I look up at him confused, just to see that he's mirroring the same look.

"How did that happen? The locker assignments have always been alphabetical." He asks as we make our way down the hallway towards our lockers. We both stop when we reach them, greeted by a line of oh-so familiar smiles.

"Brooke." We chime at the same time.

"What?" she asks innocently. "Being Student Council President has its perks! All of our lockers are together!" She says, winking at us as she walks off down the hall, Lucas, Peyton and Jake straggling behind her.

"Well this is cool. Now if we don't have any classes together at least we'll see each other during passing." Nathan says smiling down at me, not knowing that he's making me melt with that infamous Scott smirk of his.

"Yeah, it is cool. But maybe we have some classes together. Let me see your schedule." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wrinkled and slightly torn version of his schedule. _Boys._

I place our schedules side by side, _we have the same lunch_, once again probably arranged by Brooke. _Let's see…Spanish, that could be interesting. Economics, not bad, and Calculus, cool. Wait…Calculus?_

"Well…?" Nathan asks impatiently.

"Well good news is we have three classes together." I say, looking at him with a smile.

"And the bad news…" he asks, confusion evident on his face.

"The bad news is you got signed up for Calculus." I hesitantly say. His once smiling face, drops. His gorgeous smile replaced by a stressed frown.

"What? Haley I can't have Calculus! I barely passed Pre-Cal last year!" He runs his hand through his hair nervously and starts rambling about how he needs to talk to the guidance counselor about switching classes. I grab his hand, doing my best to ignore the spark I feel at his touch, and I get his attention.

"Wait, Nathan. I have an idea. And you don't have to do it, but I think it's worth a shot." He looks at me, impatient anxiety written on his face. "Why don't you go to Calculus with me, at least for the week. Whatever you don't understand, I can help you with. You've got a free period 5th and that's one of my tutoring times. After a couple weeks, if you still really don't like it and you don't get it, then you can switch out." I look up at him expectantly.

I can see the wheels turning as he tries to process my proposition. While he's thinking it over, I'm trying my best not to focus too much on the fact that he has subconsciously laced my fingers through his.

"I guess I could do that, but I mean, what's the point Hales? We both know I'm not going to do well." And there it is. That face; the one that breaks my heart every time. It's the Nathan Scott, "I can play basketball like no other, but I suck at everything else." It's the face of self doubt. Without thinking, I graze my free hand across his cheek, inviting him to look at me. At first he falters, looking everywhere but in my eyes, so I gently grab his face until I guide his sad blue eyes to meet mine.

"Nathan Scott, you listen to me. You can do anything you put your mind to. I know it sounds cliché and cheesy, but it's true. You have so much potential that it would be a waste to not even try. Besides, I'll be there to help you. I have faith in you, but you have to have faith in yourself too." At first I'm not sure that he was listening, but then I see it. That slow, sexy as hell, grin creep across his face as he releases his hand from mine. Again, I struggle to ignore the void feeling he leaves me with.

"Thanks Hales. You're the best friend I could ever ask for." He says, leaning down to kiss my forehead. As sweet as they are, those are the most heart breaking words I've heard all morning. Who knew two simple words like 'Best Friend' could hold so much pride and so much pain at the same time. Afraid that if I try to say something, the words will come out wrong I just smile at him, opening my locker to place a few books inside. Once I've hidden my face with the locker door, I let out a ragged sigh before regaining composure.

"Alright Mister, enough of the mushy stuff. Let's vamos to Spanish, Andale!" I exclaim with a snap. He laughs, closes his locker, and drapes his arm lazily across my shoulder.

"Ole!"

_**Okay, so I hope everyone enjoyed that chapter…I kind of needed a Naley fix so I threw some in there! Please Please Please Review! Thanks!**_


	5. Dinner and a Show

_**Again, I am COMPLETELY blown away by the reviews this story has gotten, I'm super glad that so many of you like it! Anyways, with out further ado, here's your next chapter!**_

_**I don't own anything…and if I did, let's just say you'd be calling me Mrs. Lafferty!**_

So the first half of school went by remarkably fast, First period I had Spanish with Nathan, second I had tutoring where I met some of my new tutees (all freshman, I'm SO excited), third I had world history with Brooke and Jake, and fourth I have English AP with Peyton, Jake and Luke. I'm thrilled to have so many classes with my friends and so little with Rachel. My day is going really great and now I'm going to my favorite subject of all time, LUNCH.

I go through the lunch line, even though seniors get off campus lunch, we all decided to eat in the cafeteria today. Once I get my lunch, I start heading over to our table, where everyone, minus Jake, is waiting. I place my tray between Nathan and Brooke and sit down, smiling at my four friends around me.

"Aww, Haley you're so sweet!" Lucas exclaims with a grin on his face. I turn my glare from Brooke, who's stealing fries off my tray, to Luke.

"Lucas," I start confusedly. "What are you talking about?"

His grin widens as examines the contents of my tray. "Well I figured since you got so much food, you were planning on assisting in feeding a third world country." At his comedic remark, everyone at the table, sans me, start laughing.

"Hardy Har Luke. Being a kick ass tutor takes energy, and energy requires nourishment." I say, taking a forceful bite out of my apple before smiling cheekily.

Nathan shakes his head, laughing at me. "It's a wonder you're not 200 lbs Hales!"

I playfully smack him in the arm. "Thanks…I think!"

"I don't know, she's pretty close." Someone says spitefully behind me, and without even turning my head, I know who it is. I can smell bitch from a mile away. I turn around to face her, a cocky smile plastered on her face, just asking for me to wipe it off.

"Rachel!" Nathan says, looking at me to make sure my feelings weren't hurt. "Put some ice on it, will ya?"

Rachel shrugs, changing her expression to one of fake guilt. "You're right Nathan. Sorry Hales, didn't mean to be rude."

I narrow my eyes at her, hoping that maybe if I glare long enough, daggers will come out of my eyes and penetrate right through her skull. _Staring…Staring… Damn, no such luck._

"It's Haley." Nathan and I both say at the same time.

"What?" Rachel asks, a mixture of confusion and irritation written across her expensive face. I nod at Nathan to explain, grinning satisfactorily at the fact that he's so defensive over his nickname for me.

"Her name is Haley, not Hales." He says shortly.

Rachel looks at him with a feigned expression of confused innocence. "But you just called her Hales."

"Yeah, yeah I do. And I'm the only one that calls her Hales." He says, a little bit nicer this time, which kind of disappoints me.

"Oh okay. I'm sorry _Haley_. It won't happen again." She says sweetly. "So you guys…do you mind if I join you?" she asks, already nudging herself between Nathan and I to sit down. _Lord give me strength, 'cause I'm about to beat this girl like she stole something._

"Yes." Brooke and I chime at the same time.

"Brooke, Haley…what's it going to hurt?" Lucas asks, receiving a look only Brooke Davis can give. _Uh Oh. Luke buddy, it was nice knowing you. _She turns to him angrily.

"Are you SERIOUS? You're really going to defend her?" Brooke screams, her hands violently gesturing in the vicinity of Rachel, who's got an evil smile playing at her lips.

"Brooke! I didn't mean it like that, I was…it's just I…" Luke stutters and stammers before reaching across the table punching Nathan in the arm, who can't control his laughter. "Shut up man! You're not helping."

Brooke turns away from Lucas, a dangerous mix of pout and anger in her expression. She glares at Rachel. "Go away."

"No." Rachel says indignantly, scooting closer to Nathan. _Okay, I can't take this anymore._

"Rachel." I say slowly, afraid that if I don't take my time and think about what I'm going to say, I could possibly end up spending 3 to 5 with Tree Hill's finest. "Go…away…please."

Rachel glares at me before turning to Nathan. "Do you want me to leave too, Nate?"  
_Nate?!?! Okay that's it; this skank is going to get her ass kicked into next week!_

Nathan throws us all off by simply laughing and shaking his head. "Unfortunately for you, Rachel, I'm smarter than my big brother. I'm staying out of this." He says, receiving a grateful smile from Brooke before she remembers that he's mad at Luke, who is hanging his head so low it's dangerously close to mingling with his mashed potatoes.

"Rachel, I think you should go." Peyton says a little bit nicer than Brooke and I had.

"Go where Peyton? Look around, there are no more seats. Where do you suggest I go?" Rachel asks gesturing her hands around the cafeteria, pointing out that, in fact, all the tables are packed.

Brooke gets up, walks around the table and picks up Rachel's tray. "I suggest you go far away from me; unless you want your next period to come out of your nose."

_DAMN. Brooke:1; Rachel: 0._

Rachel stands up, her face within mere inches of Brooke's. Sensing that this has gone from harmless to dangerous in no time at all, Nathan stands up, placing himself between the two girls.

"Whoa! Okay, I think that's enough!" Nathan says to Brooke, who is being pulled away by Lucas. "Rachel, I'm sorry. I think it'd be best if you found somewhere else to sit." Nathan says, handing Rachel her lunch tray.

Rachel looks around at the table, making sure to glare a little harder at me and Brooke.

"Fine." She says and walks around the side of the table until she stops behind Brooke. She leans down and whispers, "See you at practice…_Captain_." And with that, she stomped off, finding a seat between Bevin and Theresa.

"ARGH! That girl drives me crazy! What is her deal, anyways?" Brooke asks.

"Well babe, maybe she's just…" Lucas starts timidly.

"That was a metaphorical question Lucas!" Brooke fumes. The shade of her face now matching the crimson color of Peyton's AC/DC shirt. Everyone's wondering how the hell that was a metaphorical question, but no one dares to correct her…except Lucas. _When will that boy EVER learn?_

"Cheery, don't you mean rhetorical?" Lucas asks, his voice stronger than before.

"What?" Brooke asks exasperatedly. Everyone's eyes scan to Lucas. It's like we're all watching an extremely intense tennis game.

"Well you said it was a metaphorical question, but I think you meant…"

Brooke swings her head to face Lucas, and I start to think I can actually see the _steam_ coming out of her ears. She laughs, a deep, throaty, laugh. Her eyes piercing holes through Lucas' now quaking body."Are you…are you CORRECTING ME?!?"

Lucas violently shakes his head, realizing his mistake too late. "No, no, no, no, no!!! I was just saying…" He stutters out, but doesn't finish because at this point, Brooke is now throwing all of her stuff in her bag, and stands up.

"Peyton, Nathan, Tutor Girl; I'll see you later." At that she turns on her heel, making sure to glare at Lucas in the process, and then marches out of the cafeteria, only stopping to address Jake who's now walking up to our table.

Nathan reaches over, sympathetically patting Luke on the shoulder. "Damn dude. Do you know how much jewelry you're going to have to buy to get her to forgive you?" He asks, causing Peyton and I to laugh, and Lucas begins to pack his stuff up.

"Where are you going?" Peyton asks between bites of her burger.

Lucas sighs and looks around the table. "To see if I can find Brooke…or a jewelry store, which ever comes first." The rest of us erupt in another fit of laughter, as Lucas leaves and Jake takes his spot.

"What was that about?" Jake asks, stealing fries off of Peyton's plate, causing her to smile. _They're so cute, I just wanna squeeze 'em!_

"In a nutshell; Nate's protective, Rachel's a bitch, Brooke's pissed and Luke's in the dog house." Nathan says with a smile, before finishing off his Gatorade. He turns around, aims for the trashcan, and throws the empty bottle effortlessly in. As he does this, I notice the bottom of his shirt rises up, exposing a thin strip of his toned midsection. I then allow my eyes to subtly move up to his now, flexed arms, admiring the strength and the sculpture. _Damn, I never knew trashcan basketball could be such a turn on. _I'm unfortunately roused back from my thoughts by Jake's utter confusion.

"Okay..." He says nodding his head. "Wait…what?"

Peyton laughs before attempting to fill in the blanks. Once she finishes giving Jake the Reader's Digest version of today's events, we all study his face, waiting for his reaction.

"Wow…just…wow. A guy misses one lunch…" he says as we all get up from the table, gathering our things together.

"So where are you guys headed next?" Nathan asks, handing me my messenger bag.

"Calculus." They say at the same time, and then look at each other laughing.

"With Kelly?" I asks.

"Yep." Peyton and Jake say again, simultaneously.

"Cool! Us too." Nathan exclaims, his face brightening at the fact that we have friends in that class.

"See Nate," I say, draping my arm around his back. "It won't be that bad."

"Yeah," he laughs. "It won't be that bad until we actually have to do the work." He rolls his eyes and sticks out his tongue in displeasure, causing us to laugh. Peyton comes around to my side, linking arms with me and pulling me away from Nathan.

"So Nathan, you want to hold hands too?" He says jokingly, nodding at mine and Peyton's linked arms. We all laugh as Nathan scoots back over to me, his large torso towering over me.

"Nah man, I'm good. Go find Tim." Nathan says as we laugh; the four of us heading down the hall to our next class.

_**Okay so that's it for this chapter. Hope you liked it and I hope you enjoy!**_


	6. You and I Collide

**_Again, thanks for all of the super fantastic reviews! You guys are the best! So…I don't know what's up with FanFic right now, but I'm not getting any reviews or updates. I don't know if it's just something wrong with my computer or a site thing, but hopefully everyone gets this UD! Anywho on with the story!_**

The second half of the day went as smoothly as the first, minus the little 'incident' at lunch. Now we're all in the gym watching the boys practice as we stretch. To be quite honest, I've never really been a big sports fanatic. In fact, the boys made fun of me for weeks because I asked Nathan if Whitey made him quarterback…of the basketball team. They still give me crap about that. But anyways, if there was ever a sport I could love; it would be basketball. Not because I like the intense feeling of a tied game with nine seconds left, or because I like the 'SWOOSH' sound of the ball going through the net. Oh no; I could care less about these things. My love for basketball, the reason I jump, scream, and cheer every Friday night, is for Nathan Scott.

I know I've said this before, but that boy is AMAZING at basketball. For someone so masculine and tough, his game is so graceful and inspiring. Watching him play is like, I don't know. Like, seeing poetry. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he's totally gorgeous. The way the sweat stands on his furrowed brow as he concentrates on making his free throws, that sexy-ass Scott smirk he gets when he hits a three. It should be illegal for someone to have that much talented and be so handsome at the same time.

I begin to watch him as they start running drills. He commands the attention of his teammates by his amazing ability to lead. He runs from his position at the top of the key, slamming his defender into a block and calls for the ball which is quickly passed to him. He runs it down the court, and, within a matter of seconds, dunks it into the hoop above me. As he comes down, our eyes meet. At first I'm startled, not expecting him to see me, but then his eyes hold mine, and he keeps contact the entire way back down the court. As he turns around to return to his practice he sends me a wink and that popular smirk I know I've told you about. And that's it. That's all it takes for me to melt and become a big ol' puddle of Haley.

"Haley…Haley Lynn James!!!" My head snaps in the direction of the voice that has awaken me from my daze. _Uh Oh. Brooke. _"If you don't mind, we'd like to start cheerleading practice!" She says, an agitated look on her face.

"I uh…um…sorry, Brooke. Let's start." I stutter as I race into my position between Bevin and Peyton.

"What was that about?" Peyton asks, looking at me strangely.

"Nothing, I was just zoned out." I say with a smile before turning to meet Brooke's "I'm the cheerleading Captain and my squad's going to be perfect if I have to kill everyone to make it that way" glare. _Gulp. It's not normal to be scared of your best friend._

Brooke starts pacing back and forth in front of the practice formation; the first sign that she's about to lecture us. "Okay girls. First of all, welcome to the Tree Hill Ravens Cheerleading squad. For a lot of you, this is your senior year, for one of you," she says, eyeing Rachel with disdain, "It's your only year. Try not to screw it up."

"Damn." Peyton says quietly.

"Now, every year we work our asses off to go to the Sparkle Classic, and every year we get our asses kicked by Claire Young and her squad of skanks. That will NOT happen this year. This year we are going to work twice as hard on our routine and we are going to win the Classic." Brooke says with a confident smile on her face.

"Excuse me, Captain?" Rachel asks. "Are we actually going to get to practice, or are we going to sit here and listen to you blabber all day? 'Cause if it's the second, then I have better things to do with my time."

There are a mixture of gasps and "oh my god's" through out the squad as Rachel looks at Brooke, who's trying her best to stay calm. I can see this won't go well if Brooke handles it, so I step in.

"Wow! Rachel!! Oh my god! Congratulations, I didn't know Brooke made you Co-Captain!!!" I say with feigned excitement. Peyton catches on and throws in a 'congratulations'.

Rachel shakes her head in confusion. "Wha…what the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, I figured she must have made you Co-Captain for you to speak so authoritatively to her." I state, the innocence in my eyes equal to the sarcasm in my voice.

"No. I'm not Co-Captain….even though I should be." She mutters. I take a step towards her, now within inches of her face, smiling the whole time.

"Well then I guess that means you should shut up and let her do her job." I growl out before turning to walk back to my spot. However, as I turn, Rachel grabs a fist full of my hair and pulls me down. The impact of my body hitting the floor making a resounding echo throughout the gym. _Bitch. That's going to leave a bruise. _I get up to retaliate, but fall back down with a yelp as I attempt to stand on my ankle. At this point, everyone in the gym, including Whitey, has turned around to see what is going on.

Brooke and Peyton run over to help me up. They drape my arms around Peyton's shoulder to steady me. Brooke spins around to face Rachel. "You need to go…NOW." She whispers harshly.

"Why do I have to go? She started it!" Rachel lashes out. Brooke scoffs bitterly.

"'She started it?' This is not the third grade Rachel! You do not, under any circumstances, put your hands on anyone, much less one of your fellow cheerleaders!" Brooke says, stepping closer to Rachel, but stops when she feels Lucas holding her arm.

"Babe, I know you're upset, and you have every right to be, but hitting her back is not going to solve anything." Luke reasons with her, pulling her further towards him and away from Rachel.

"Ms. Gatina I think you need to leave before I decide to have a chat with Principal Turner." Whitey says, causing Rachel to send a hateful glare towards me before stomping away. "As for the rest of you," he says, looking around the gym at the cheerleaders and players, "You better get your shit together, 'cause I'll be damned if I'm going to let a hooligan team disgrace the Ravens' name. Practice… is OVER." And with that, Whitey marches out of the gym, making sure to let the door slam on the way out.

Nathan walks up to where I'm standing with Peyton and picks me up with great ease, and carries me over to the bleachers setting me down gently. Brooke walks over and begins examining my ankle, grabbing it too hard every so often causing me to let out yelps of pain.

"Damn Rachel! Looks like your ankle is sprained Hales." She says, receiving a look from both me and Nathan. "Sorry. _Haley_. Anyways, we need to put some ice on it until the trainer can look at it. Hey Tim!" she calls out. And within a matter of seconds, Tim runs up to Brooke, eagerness in his eyes like a puppy.

"Yes Brooke?" He asks sweetly.

"Can you go get me some ice for Haley's ankle? And tell the trainer we need him to come and look at it too."

"Fo' Shizzle." Tim says, a goofy grin the size of Texas placed sloppily on his face.

Nathan rolls his eyes. "Tim, just say yes." Everyone laughs but me, as Tim skips off to the training room. Nathan turns his attention back to me.

"So, you okay Rocky?" he jokes. I attempt to laugh, but the pain is so overwhelming, it sounds more like a whimper. "Hales, does it hurt that bad?" He asks, concern replacing the humor in his eyes.

"It hurts pretty bad." I say, before turning to Brooke. "Brooke I am SO sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen! I was just…I couldn't stand the way she was talking to you."

Brooke smiles at me sympathetically. "It's okay Tutor Girl, I appreciate it really. But the only thing I'm worried about right now is getting your ankle better."

A few minutes later, Tim came skipping back with the ice, some aspirin and a message that the trainer could see me in about half an hour, if I wanted to wait. Peyton and Jake said their goodbyes; Jake had to go home to Jenny and Peyton had a strip due for THUD the next morning. As I made myself comfortable, I kept insisting to the others that they go home, there was no need for them to stay too.

"Tutor Girl, shut up! There's no way I'm leaving you here. Besides, if we leave, how are you going to get home?" Brooke asked pointedly.

"Good point. But there really isn't any point in all three of you staying. I just need one person to drive me home." I said, looking around at my three friends.

"I'll take you." They all proclaimed at the same time, causing the four of us to laugh.

"See Hales, we all want to stay and help." Nathan says as he gently lifts my leg and elevates it by putting it across his lap. "So let us." He smiles at me, knowing I can't, and more importantly, won't say no to him.

"Okay fine." I say with a smile, getting as comfortable as possible.

Soon after that, the trainer came out, confirmed that my ankle was, indeed, sprained. He then prescribed me an anti-inflammatory with strict instructions and sent us on our way.

Since the three of us girls had ridden with Peyton that morning, and the three guys rode with Luke, we piled into Lucas' truck and he drove me home.

When we got out of the truck, I was surprised to see Nathan get out with me. He shut the door and stuck his head through the open window.

"Hey I'm going to stay for a bit, make sure she gets settled in. I'll be by later to get my car from your house." He says to Luke.

"Nathan," I say, holding on to his shoulder for balance. "You don't need to do that. I'm a big girl, I'll be fine."

He turns around and gives me the "you're being hard-headed look". "Haley, are your parents home?" He asks, knowing the answer.

"Well…no. But Nate, that's nothing new, I'm used to it, I'll be fine." This happens all the time, he'll have his mind set on one thing, I'll have my mind set on another, and we argue about it. I always win though, I look up at him, expecting to see the familiar look of surrender and resignation on his face, but instead I see something new, something different, something telling me I'm not winning this one.

"Nuh uh. Nice try Hales, but you're not winning this one. I'm staying with you until you're settled and that's that. Capische?" He asks stubbornly. Of all of my remarkable features to rub of on Nathan, he got my stubbornness. _Great._

I sigh, surrendering. "Fine, but under no circumstance will I allow you to..whoa!" I exclaim as he picks be up, one arm under my knees, one arm tucked safely behind my waist.

He smirks at me. Again. I'm getting SO sick of that smirk. "Tell Lucas and Brooke goodnight." He says, turning so that I can face Brooke and Lucas, their faces red from laughter.

"Goodnight." I say deadpanned. They wave, still laughing I might add, and take off down the street. I look up at Nathan with a 'now what?' look.

"Now…" he says, as if reading my thoughts. "Let's get you taken care of missy", he says as he carries me up my sidewalk, unlocks my door with his key, and clumsily carries me in.

"Is that how you're going to carry me over the threshold when we get married?" I ask laughing before realizing what I actually said. _Smooth move Haley, have fun trying to live that one down. _I hesitantly look up at Nathan who, once again, has a cocky smile playing across his face.

"Wow Hales. You want to marry me?" He asks as he continues to the couch, and lowers me down on to it.

"NO!" I exclaim maybe just a bit too fast. He chuckles at me before grinning.

"Yes you do. You might as well have proposed to me in the doorway!"

I stare at him wide-eyed. "I did not!"

"Ohh! Ohh yes you did!" He says walking towards the kitchen. I can no longer see him but I can hear his voice as he begins to sing, badly I might add. "You wanna marry me, you wanna kiss me, you wanna love me, you wanna…"

"Nathan Scott!! You cut that crap out right now or I swear to God I will sprain my other ankle because I'm going to stick so far up your…"

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa Mrs. Scott, no need for language!" He says. Pride beaming out of his smile knowing he's the cause of my embarrassment.

"Mrs. Scott? You think you are too cute, don't you?" I ask, looking at him irritably.

He smiles, sitting down next to me with the phone in one hand, the phone book in the other. "Yeah, but apparently I'm not the only one that thinks so."

I sink back into the couch, slapping my hands over my face and letting out a long sigh. "Nathan, that's not what I meant, I meant…"

He turns quickly to face me, his expression hard for even me to read. _Confusion? Anxiousness? Excitement? Fear? Playfulness? _His eyes are jumbled with all of these expressions that I can't clearly decipher which one he's actually feeling. "You meant what Hales? What did you mean?"

I slowly close my eyes, taking a long, slow breath. _I meant what I said. I love you, Nathan Scott. I love everything about you. I love the way you smile at me, I love the way you smile when you're playing ball, I love the way you take care of me, I love the way you make me feel. I love the feeling I get when I'm around you. You complete me. You make my heart beat faster and slower at the same time. I don't know what I'd do without you and I hope I never find out. I guess what I meant was…I love you Nathan, you're the one for me._

I open my eyes, immediately being overwhelmed by the intensity of his beautiful baby blues. "I just meant…"

_**Whatcha gonna do with all that junk? **_

_**All that junk inside your trunk?**_

_**I'ma get, get, get, get you drunk,**_

_**Get you love drunk off my hump..**_

Brooke's ringtone. I tear my eyes away from Nathan's, searching through my purse to find my phone. "What's up Tigger?" I ask, turning back to Nathan who's using the house phone to order pizza.

"We just wanted to make sure you got in safe Tutor Girl." She says, a little preoccupied.

"Yeah I did, Nathan's here taking care of me," I turn to him smiling, he looks up from the phone book and does the same. "And by the way, who's we?" I ask her coyly, already knowing the answer.

She giggles. "Well Luke came over 'cause he knew I was stressed so we're going to…um, de-stress."

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the mental images of what 'de-stressing' might entail. "Alright well you kids have fun."

"Oh you know it." She says suggestively, I wince causing Nathan to look at me worriedly. "Call if you need anything Tutor Girl."

"I will Brooke, bye." I hang up, tossing my cell on the coffee table, and lean back into the couch.

Nathan, once again, pulls my leg across his lab, quickly checking to make sure the bandage is holding up. "What was that about?"

I laughed a little, despite the discomfort the situation makes me feel. "Luke is over at Brooke's helping her to…de-stress." I look at Nathan waiting for a reply.

"Wait…what?" he asks confusedly. "Ohhh…EW!" I laugh at his slow response before reaching for the remote.

"So Mr. Babysitter, I assume you ordered pizza?"

"Yep. One large pepperoni and one large supreme." He says smiling, he knows those are my favorites.

"Cool, but…what are you going to eat?" I ask laughing. I turn to see if he's laughing, but instead he's got a look of deep thought on his face. I stop laughing at the seriousness of his expression.

"Nate? What's up?"

"Well…" he starts seriously. "I never took in to account that you eat enough for 6 people." He almost gets the whole sentence out before his body begins shaking with laughter.

"Hey!" I exclaim, slapping him playfully on the shoulder.

We laugh and joke for another ten minutes before the pizza arrives. While we eat we talk, about nothing in particular, although the subject of my 'tift' Rachel came up a few times. I assumed that after we polished off the pizza he was going to go, but instead he got up, placed a new ice pack on my ankle, made me take my medicine, popped in a DVD, and covered us both up with a blanket once he returned back to the couch.

I looked at my watch; it was almost 11:30 and he still had to walk to Luke's to get his car. "Nate, not that I mind you being here, but…shouldn't you be heading home?"

He looked over at me and smiled. He didn't smirk, he didn't grin, he smiled. A real, genuine smile. He slid over to me draping his muscular left arm around my petite shoulders.

"I told you Hales, I'm here to take care of you, I'm going to stay with you tonight and make sure you have everything you need. I'll just have Luke bring my car over here in the morning…If, that's okay with you?" he asks, looking down at me.

On one hand, my head is screaming, _Haley Lynn James!! The boy you're in love with is asking to spend the night! Why do you even have to think about this?!?_ But on the other hand, my heart knows I shouldn't. _Because in the morning, when I wake up to see his face, I'm going to want to do it again. And it's going to end up meaning more to me than it should. _

I shake myself from my thoughts. This shouldn't be weird, it shouldn't even be an issue; it's not like he hasn't spent the night hundreds of times before. But this, this is different. I don't know why, but it _feels_ different. It feels like if I do this, I'm not going to be able to take it back. I look up at him, finding him still gazing down at me.

I smile back at him. "Of course it's okay." I say weakly. He nods before shifting us so that he's lying reclined on the couch with my body tucked comfortably between him and the back of the couch, my head nestled in the crook of his shoulder.

"So what are we watching Mr. Scott?" I ask, pushing the power button on the DVD remote. The menu for _The Patriot_ pops up and I groan. "A war movie, Nathan?"

He looks down at me, absent-mindedly petting my hair, causing my eyes to flutter sleepily with comfort. "Oh c'mon, Hales, you'll like it. I mean, yeah, it's got blood and guts. But it's got Mel Gibson and that other Australian guy you like, Heathcliff or something."

"Heath Ledger's in this movie?!?" I ask excitedly, not once questioning how the hell he was talking about.

"Yeah I guess." He laughs.

He starts the movie, and we're about 20 minutes into it, and I've got to say, it's not that bad. I mean, it helps that two of the hottest Australian guys are in the movie, but it's actually pretty interesting too. However, as interesting as it is, between the medicine I took and Nathan gently playing with my hair, I begin drifting off.

I feel myself instinctively nuzzle my head further into his shoulder, closing my eyes contently. I feel him angle his head down towards me, placing a gentle kiss on the top of my head, I feel him smile.

"Goodnight Hales." He whispers.

"Goodnight Nathan." I whisper back. _I love you_.

_**So…this ended up being EXTREMELY long, my longest chapter yet. But I gave you guys some sweet Naley-ness so I hope you enjoy. The way Season 4 has been going I've been in need of some Naley fluff myself, so there ya go! Hope you enjoyed and please please please Review!!!**_


	7. Sleeping to Dream About You

**Once again, I CANNOT thank all of my faithful reviewers enough. I know I was kind of slow with this chapter, I truly apologize. College has been crazy and life, well, let's just say it's…intense. But never fear, because here I am with another update. Enjoy. Oh and this chapter is mostly just a filler. Ya know, fluff. It's not really vital to the storyline, but after seeing the latest episode (which made me fall in love with Nathan all over again) I was in a Naley fluff kind of mood, so here ya go! Happy Reading.**

**_My eyes slowly flutter open as I feel Nathan shift slightly from beneath me; my small body on top of his, his arms encircled protectively around my waist. I open my eyes cautiously, allowing them to adjust to the light coming through the window. I turn my head up to look at him, and I'm surprised to see him looking back at me. The combined look of adoration and sleepiness in his eyes overwhelms me; I lean up, gently placing a kiss on his soft lips._**

"**_Mmmm. Good morning to you too, beautiful." He says smiling at me before returning the kiss, a little more forcefully. _**

**_He slowly repositions our bodies, so that he's hovering slightly above me, our lips never parting. His right hand traces the lines of my face, his left arm is tightly wrapped around my waist, pulling my body closer to his, deepening our already passionate kiss. My hand travels gently across his face, trailing to the back of his neck as I run it through his hair. My free hand slowly finds its way across his body, traveling down his chest until I find the hem of his shirt, tugging at it gently to let him know that I want it gone. I feel him smile against my lips as he begrudgingly pulls away and reaches to remove his shirt, his eyes never leaving mine…_**

**WHATCHA GOIN' DO WITH ALL THAT JUNK?**

**ALL THAT JUNK THAT'S IN YOUR TRUNK.**

**I'MA GET GET GET GET YOU DRUNK,**

**GET YOU LOVE DRUNK OFF MY HUMP. **

Brooke's ringtone startles me, causing me to jump and topple off of Nathan and the couch, bumping my head on the coffee table in the process.

"Son of a –"

"Haley?" Nathan asks in a concerned sleepy voice. I glance at him quickly before looking away. Afraid if I make eye contact he might somehow know what I was dreaming about. _Damn, it was just a dream; a perfectly perfect dream that Brooke ruined. _

**WHATCHA GOIN' DO WITH ALL THAT JUNK?**

**ALL THAT JUNK THAT'S IN YOUR TRUNK.**

**I'MA GET GET GET GET YOU DRUNK,**

**GET YOU LOVE DRUNK OFF MY HUMP. **

"Haley!" Nathan groans, his voice slightly muffled by the pillow his face is buried in. "Either answer that phone or make it stop before I throw it out of the window."

I grin shyly as I put the phone to my ear. "To what do I owe the pleasure Brooke?"

"Is my brother there?" Lucas asks on the other end, surprising me.

"Well nice to talk to you too Sunshine." I say sarcastically into the receiver causing Luke to laugh.

"Sorry, Haley. Good Morning. Now, is my brother there?"

"You mean Nathan?" I ask sweetly, causing Nathan to turn his face to me, smiling at me sleepily.

"No Haley I mean my other brother…of course I mean Nathan!" He exclaims, I smile to myself, knowing that I'm frustrating him._ Good that's what he gets for calling at the crack of dawn and disturbing me from my dream._

"Well you know, considering who your father is…"

"OOKKAY," Nathan says, snatching the phone from me. "I think that's about enough out of you Ms. James. You're feisty in the mornings." He says looking down at me. _Feisty in the mornings?!? Psshh, you should see me in my dreams…Oh My God! Did I really just think that?!? _My face betrays me by turning a dark shade of pink. Nathan looks at me strangely before putting the phone to his ear.

"Luke?"

"Nathan, what happened man? I thought you were going to come get your car last night?"

Nathan looks down at me. "Yeah man, sorry about that. It's just I knew if I went home last night I would've worried about Hales all night so I decided to just stay with her. Give me fifteen minutes to get ready and then I'll walk over there and get it." He says as he sits up, stretching his free arm above his head.

"Nah, bro it's alright. Brooke's car is here too, so she'll drive her's to school and I'll come get you and Hales in about an hour, cool?" Lucas asks.

"Yeah man that's fine, except for one thing." Nathan says, his tone serious and direct.

"Okay, what's that?"

"It's HALEY, not Hales."

I can hear Lucas laugh on the other line. "Alright man! Sorry! Geez you guys are protective over one another."

"Yeah well…" Nathan states, and I can feel his gaze on my face as I carefully study the hem of my shirt. "We'll see you in about an hour." He hangs up the phone, places it on the coffee table and stretches his other arm above his head, yawning.

"Haley?" Nathan begins.

I look at him slowly, praying that the crimson color has left my face. "Yeah?"

"Why are you on the floor? He asks with his head slightly cocked to the side and a furrowed crease in his brow. _If only this boy knew how gorgeous he is. Well, I mean of course he KNOWS, he's Nathan Scott. Him not knowing he's hot is like Bill Gates not knowing he's rich. But…if only Nathan knew how truly amazing he is…to me. _

"Haley?" He asks again, concern joining the confused expression on his face.

"Huh?" I ask, jolted once again from my wandering thoughts. "Oh, haha, when the phone rang it startled me and I kind of…fell of the couch." I state shyly looking up at him.

He looks back at me, laughter in his eyes, a smile on his face. "Did you sleep well last night, were you comfortable?"

_More than you'll ever know._ "Yeah, I was fine. You?"

He nods his head, standing up to stretch. He extends his hand down to help me up. I put both feet on the floor, preparing to stand up, until a sharp pain in my ankle reminds me that I can't. I fall back onto the couch, silently willing the tears in my eyes not to fall, even though they do.

"Oh, Haley! Are you okay?" He asks, and immediately he's by my side, softly wiping the tears from my eyes. I nod my head yes even as the tears continue to fall. He wraps his arms around me, gently rocking me back and forth until my crying subsides; leaving behind traces of tears on my stained face.

"Are you okay now?" He whispers into my hair, laying a small kiss atop my head.

I take a deep breath before turning to look at him. "Yeah, it's just…I actually had forgotten that it was hurt. Now I think it hurts worse than it did yesterday."

He looks down at me as I talk, his concerned eyes meeting mine. "Well, I don't know Hales, maybe you shouldn't go to school today. I mean, it's not like you can go to practice anyways."

I raise my eyebrows at him incredulously. _Doesn't he know I'm Tutor Girl? _"Nathan, I appreciate your concern, I really do, but I have to go to school. It's only the second day and I meet my new tutees and you know I hate missing school."

"Yeah but Haley…" he starts, attempting to argue his point, but I quickly cut him off by a shake of my head.

"No Nathan, I'm not arguing this one. I'm going to school." I look at him and can see the uncertainty in his eyes. I sigh. "If it'll make you feel better I'll use the crutches I have from breaking my foot a couple of years ago, that way I won't be walking on it all day."

"And you pinky promise to tell me if it starts to bother you too much?" He asks, looking at me questioningly, holding out his pinky.

"Pinky promise." I say with a laugh, hooking my pinky around his. "Now come on mister. We have to get ready for school." I stand up and let him help me into my bedroom to change. He stops halfway down the hallway and turns to look at me.

"Haley has it ever occurred to you that you're such a nerd that you would rather gimp down the hallway all day than miss ONE DAY of classes?" He asks, a smart ass smirk smacked on his face.

I turn to him, my smile sweet. "Nathan has it ever occurred to you that if I wasn't such a nerd you'd still be trying to pass the seventh grade?"

He slowly nods his head, that damn smirk now replaced with an amused smile. "Touché, James, Touché."


	8. Authors Note

**_Okay, first of all…PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!!!  I know I suck A LOT for not updating! I hate that I haven't because I love this story a lot. Now with that said, know that I am NOT quitting this story. No way, no how! I love this story and the feeling I get when I write and get reviews hearing that YOU love it too, it's awesome. _**

_**BUT**_

_**I am SO swamped with school, I have so much and it's not getting done. So as much as I would L-O-V-E to hole myself up and do nothing but read and write all day….I can't. So here is what it comes down to…I'm am going to knock out the 3,453,459,845 pounds of homework I have in hopes that I can devote a day and maybe even a weekend to just reading and writing, deal?**_

_**Again, I am SUPER SORRY for my suckage and I promise you I will get a chapter UD as soon as humanly possible. Until then…I highly suggest you check out reading two new stories by one of my fave authors: ZenBabe. Her stuff will truly rock your socks off! **_

_**Love,**_

_**Kristen**_


	9. Here's Your Chance, Kid

_**Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know…I hate me too. lol SORRY for the tremendously over due update…finals are of the sucky nature. Seriously, who puts a biology final and chemistry final…on the same freakin day?!? SIGH anyways…I won't dilly dally any further…here's your next chapter! I skipped a month or two for this chapter…just so I could get somewhere with the story line…hope it doesn't suck too much…I'm rusty!**_

_**Disclaimer: If I owned anything even remotely associated with One Tree Hill, I'd be too busy on my honeymoon with James Lafferty to be writing this story! **_

Ahhh…can you sense it? The smell of the crisp, cool Carolina air, the sting of hot chocolate on your tongue, the sound of basketballs dribbling furiously on an old wood floor; that's right ladies and gents, it's basketball season. We're about 4 games into the season, and the boys are kicking ass, as per usual. I had to sit out the first game, thanks to my sprained ankle due to Rach-ho, but now I'm back, just in time for full fledged basketball.

It's the Friday before the team's first tournament and the six of us decided to have a night out at Tric. Tric is our local, all ages night club co-owned my Karen and Deb, and inspired by Peyton. It's awesome, we have open mic nights and Peyton some how manages to always get kick ass bands to perform. Anyways, tonight is an open mic night and I always go thinking I might have enough courage to perform, and then I laugh at myself when we get there, realizing that I'm hopelessly devoted to performing only in my shower.

"TUTORGIRRRLLL" Brooke calls out, eyeing me with an annoyed look through the mirror in her vanity.

"BROOOKKKEE" I whine back, smirking in her direction before turning back to her closet.

"I was asking you if you picked out something to wear yet, but you were off in La La Land…again."

"Sorry Brooke, from now on I'll make sure my world revolves around you, k?" I ask with a sweet sarcasm, tossing another shirt (or at least that's what it's _SUPPOSED_ to be) over my shoulder.

Brooke smiles satisfactorily. "Well as long as you know how it should be. Seriously though Haley, are you actually going to pick out an outfit, or just relocate all my clothes to the floor?" She asks picking up her sad excuse for a top up of the floor gently.

I flop down on the lounge chair in Brooke's closet with a sigh. "We go through this every time, Brooke. I can't wear your clothes; they're too-"

"Slutty?" Peyton chimes in, causing Brooke to turn around and playful smack her arm. I laugh at Peyton, nodding my head.

"Exactly!" Brooke's glares at me for a second, and then, as if a light came on, she skips into her closet. I look at Peyton with confusion on my face, she simply shrugs.

"You never know with Brooke." She says.

Moments later Brooke bounds out of the closet, nearly trampling me in the process. In her hand she's holding some type of material. For a second, I'm thinking she's going to attempt to make me an outfit out of the small amount of material, but as I look closer, I realize that she's holding actual articles of clothing.

"Oh no ma'am, Brooke Penelope Davis! The only thing worse than having to wear your clothes, is having you pick them out for me." I say shaking my head from side to side and slowly backing away.

Brooke looks offended for a split second before allowing a mischievous grin to settle on her perfectly make-upped face. "Oh my dear little Haley, you have nothing to worry about…now scoot into my bathroom and try that top on." She says, thrusting the soft material into my hands, and playfully smacking me on the butt.

I hesitantly take the material from her hands and stomp into the bathroom. Once I get my Jack's Mannequin shirt lifted above my head, I look down at the top Brooke forced on me. As I examine it, I cock my head to the side in wonderment; it's so…small. I pull the top over my head, knowing I'm just going to take it back off. After I get it on and adjusted, I examine myself in the mirror. The top is cute, there's no doubt about it; it's a deep v-neck halter, in a soft pink color and a small black bow to the side. I take one last glance in the mirror before sauntering back into Brooke's room.

"Ok. So there's no way IN HELL that I'm wearing this top!" I announce, expecting Brooke to immediately argue with me, but I'm met with two stares, jaws on the floor.

"What?" I ask shortly.

"Hale, you look-" Peyton started.

"Bitchin'!" Brooke exclaimed jumping and clapping excitedly. "Tutor Girl you HAVE to wear this top! You'll have the boys lined up around the block!" _Psh, I just need one boy lined up…and that's not happening._

"Brooke. I am NOT wearing this top. It's too…you." I said, attempting to squirm out of the top, but I'm stopped by Brooke's hands on my shoulders. She looks at me, big puppy dog eyes and all and says,

"Please Tutor Girl?!? For one night can you just not pretend you're not a cautious 80 year old who doesn't take chances? Plllleeease Haley, Please?!?" I look at her, a pout on her face, but amusement in her eyes, she knows she's going to win this one, and I hate that.

"I don't know Brooke…what do you think Peyton?" I ask turning to my curly haired friend as she laughs at Brooke.

"I agree with Brooke. Take a chance every once and a while James, you might be surprised at the outcome." She says with a wink.

"Fine." I say, rolling my eyes indignantly in their direction before turning back to the mirror. "But what am I supposed to where with it?" I ask hesitantly, afraid of Brooke's answer.

"I thought you'd never ask!" she exclaims tossing a black mini to me and nodding at a pair of black and pink polka-dotted wedges. As I get dressed, I can't help but think about what Brooke said, _'Can you for once pretend you're not a cautious 80 year old who doesn't take chances?'_ I somehow just realize she insulted me. _How rude!_

I look at my reflection and I must admit, Brooke has an impeccable fashion sense. I turn around to face the girls who are doing the finishing touches on their makeup.

"Well what do you think?" I ask cautiously. _Damn, I am like an 80 year old._

"Perfect!" They both exclaim, and we all break into a fit of laughs. As our laughing subsides, I'm once again brought back to what Brooke said.

"By the way," I say, turning as to not make eye contact with them, "I take chances."

I hear Brooke stifle a giggle, as Peyton clears her throat to talk.

"Haley, we love you, you know that. But taking a different route to English to see if you can get there faster and trying the new 'mystery meat' on the lunch menu do not count as taking chances." At this, Brooke erupts into laughter, while Peyton, who is trying her hardest not to laugh, gives me a sympathetic smile.

"Hardy har har, Sawyer. I should call you butter, cause you're on a roll!" I quipped.

"Oh Haley…that was a horrible comeback." Brooke squeals between laughter. I roll my eyes in pretend hurt as she attempts to recompose herself, checking her makeup for any flaws. I fix my mouth to fire back another comment, but we're interrupted by the doorbell. We all sit there looking at each other. Well, actually, I sit there looking at them while they're both looking at me expectantly. _Like I'm the freakin' maid or something!_

"Oh don't worry your pretty little heads about it girls, I'll get it." I mutter sarcastically as I walk down the stairs. Halfway down, I all of a sudden get very self conscious about my outfit. _What's Nathan going to think?_ I shake my head and take a deep breathe. It doesn't matter what Nathan says, I'm a chance taker.

I open the door, feeling the brisk November air brush across my overly exposed body. I muster up a smile and look at the guys.

"Hey."

Jake is the first to walk in, and he's eying me like I'm a new exhibit at a museum. "Damn girl, you let Brooke dress you huh?" He asks with a laugh as he side hugs me. I look at him, feigning sadness, nodding my head.

Lucas and Nathan walk in together, neither even looking up at me as they mutter they're hellos. I scoff. _I know if I'm wearing this outfit, SOMEONE better at least acknowledge me. _

"Well it's nice to see you boys too." I say sarcastically, shutting the door soundly for emphasis.

"Sorry Haley we were-" Lucas begins, but stops mid-sentence as he takes in my outfit. Nathan, who was still in his own little world, didn't even look up until he noticed Lucas silence. And they stand there, just staring. I refuse to make eye contact with Nathan, as it is, I can feel his eyes burning holes through me.

"Oookkk…take a picture it last longer." No response. "You guys, seriously, stop…please?" I whimper, nervously shifting under their stares.

"BROOKE PENELOPE DAVIS! GET YOUR CUTE LITTLE BUTT DOWN HERE…NOW!" Lucas shouts, never taking his eyes off me. I hear Peyton sing out 'you're in trouble' as Brooke appears giggling in the stairway.

She walks up to Luke and smiles, placing a kiss on his cheek, and then turns her gaze to me when he doesn't respond. "Hey Boyfriend! Tutorgirl looks great right?" She says, a proud smile on her face. I try to smile back, attempting to be cool, calm and collected, but that is growing increasingly difficult when Nathan, who looks as fine as always, won't stop staring.

"Brooke…she looks…she looks like-"

"A slut?" Peyton jokingly chimes in for the second time tonight. I throw her a 'so not the time to be funny right now' look and she suppresses her giggles into Jake's shoulder.

Lucas shakes his head making eye contact with me. "Haley, go upstairs and change."

My brow scrunches in confusion, unsure if I heard him correctly. "Excuse me?"

"I said go upstairs and change." He said, his tone growing more demanding by the minute.

Brooke steps in and turns to face him. "But Luke she looks-"

"Brooke honey," Peyton says, grabbing Brooke by the arm, "I think you'd better sit this one out champ."

Lucas turns back to me, the same, 'holier than thou' look on his face. "We'll wait here." He says, crossing his arms.

I step forward, my arms folded across my chest. "I'm not changing Luke, so there'd be no point in you waiting."

"Haley! That outfit is not appropriate!" He says, his voice rising in volume. I look at him incredulously before pointing between Brooke and Peyton.

"My outfit is not any more inappropriate than Brooke's or Peyton's, Lucas." I snap out. He briefly glances at the girls, and I can see in his eyes that he knows I'm right.

"Yeah but-" he starts, his voice weaker, and less demanding than before.

"Yeah but what?!? Its okay for Brooke and Peyton to wear less than modest outfits but 'poor innocent' Haley does it and I'm demanded to go change?!? You are NOT my father Lucas and you have lost your damn mind if you think you're going to treat me like a child, you got it?" By this point I'm mad, no; pissed. Where the hell does he get off talking to me like he has authority over me?

He backs off slowly, raising his hands in surrender. "Yeah I got it Hales-I mean Haley. I got it. I was just trying to watch out for you." He says innocently.

I spin around to give him one last glare. "Well then you need to figure out a way to do that without being a complete ass about it Lucas Eugene Scott, because I will not be treated like a 5 year old." I soften my gaze and look around at everyone else. "Let's go you guys."

Everyone filed out of the house, Lucas muttered a quiet apology to me as he walked by, Brooke scolding him all the way to the car. I muster up an uneasy smile as I turn to Nathan.

"So, you've been awfully quiet Nate."

He slowly grins, and I can actually _feel_ my knees wobbling. _How ridiculously girly am I?_ "Yeah, well I didn't want to interrupt yours and Lucas' heart to heart."

I smile at his sarcasm, not failing to notice the way his blue eyes are brought out by the baby blue polo he's sporting. "Yeah well, if Lucas isn't careful we're going to be having a fist to face." I muttered, causing him to laugh, the deepness of it running chills down my spine.

"Haha, I'll have to stick around to see that." He says as we make our way towards his SUV that everyone else is piled in. We're almost to the curb when he lightly grabs my arm, spins me around and hugs me.

When he pulls back, I look at him curiously, unable to keep the smile from playing across my lips. "What was that for?"

He smiles at me, and simply shrugs. "Cause I didn't hug you yet." He leans his face down to meet mine, his mouth so close to my ear, his warm breath tickling my neck. "You look nice Hales." I can tell by the way he says it he has that classic smirk on his face.

He pulls back, his eyes meeting mine and yep, there it is. That smirk that I hate to love. I turn my face away from him, cursing my body for betraying me as I feel a flush creep up my face. I'm trying my hardest to keep my cool, think of something witty to say, but all I can think about is the way this boy makes me feel. _Come on Haley. Cool, calm and collected...remember? _

Yeah well," I state, patting him on the shoulder, "keep it in your pants Scott." He lets out another deep throated chuckle. _I swear, he's **trying** to make me weak in the knees. _

"AHEM, while we're still young kiddos." Brooke announces from the car. I grin up at him, knowing that, at least for the moment, I have won our ever raging battle of the wits. He shakes his head as he opens his door.

"This isn't over James. The night is still young."

_**Okay, so I'm still debating as to whether I like this chapter, but I really did want to get something out for all of you guys. So I hope you liked it, if you did please review. If you didn't, you can review too, but please be kind. There's no reason to be nasty with your reviews. Anyways, hope you liked it. And do what all the cool kids do and hit that pretty lil submit review button in the corner! Next chapter will be up within the next couple of days. **_


	10. Nothing More Than Meets the Eye

**You guys awesome! Thanks for the reviews! Here's your next chapter. :) Sorry it's later than I promised 'Cedes…I got it up as soon as possible!**

_Okay, seriously…I'm dangerously close to turning around from my spot in the front seat of Nathan's SUV and backhanding Lucas and Brooke. Lucas; because he won't shut up about how my outfit is inappropriate, and Brooke; because she made me wear the damn thing. And now, they're just sitting there, arguing about it like I'm not three feet in front of them. Seriously, who died and made them my parents?!? _

"Lucas shut up and get over it! Haley looks hot'!" Brooke exclaims, beaming at him proudly.

Lucas scoffs, rolling his eyes. "She's not supposed to look 'hot'! She's supposed to look like Haley. Innocent, book worm, Haley." I spin around in my seat to glare at Lucas, who, if my indications are correct, flinches.

"Lucas…if I were you, I'd put my size twelve foot BACK in my mouth before I put my size seven foot up your –"

"Haley James! Do you kiss your mama with that mouth?" Peyton laughs from the backseat of the Yukon. I turn back around in my seat, making sure to give Luke one more final glare, before turning to Nathan. I turn up the radio in a feeble attempt to drown out Lucas and Brooke…no such luck.

"LUCAS EUGENE SCOTT! Grow the hell up! We're not 8 any more! Haley is a big girl, she can dress herself however she wants." Brooke yells, overpowering the 50 cent blaring from the radio.

"Yeah well, she's dressed like she should be working one of the corners downtown!" Lucas yells before turning to me. _Oh yeah buddy, you stepped in it this time. _

The car goes silent…seriously, I think I hear crickets. Even Nathan, who's been laughing his gorgeous little butt off at these antics, has been rendered speechless. Now, usually I'm a calm person, I don't let the things people say get to me because well, I don't give a damn. But, my best friend just called me a prostitute, so I make exceptions.

"WHAT?!?" I roar, swinging my body with so much force it creates a light breeze that grazes Nathan's hair. _I love Nathan's hair; it's so soft and fits him so well and…Haley! Focus! You are angry! _

"I just, well…what I meant was…sorry?" Lucas mutters meekly. At this, Nathan sputters out a laugh.

"Way to complete a sentence there bro…keeping digging that hole."

"Haley I –" I held up my hands, signaling I didn't want to further our conversation.

"Shove it Luke. I don't want to hear it. Until you can grow up and talk to me like I'm 17 and not 7, I'm done." I slouch down in the seat, arms crossed, bottom lip out. _Yeah Haley, tell him to grow up, but pout in the front seat, that'll teach him. _

"HA! You tell him Tutor Girl!" Brooke says happily from her spot next to Lucas who's sulking in his seat as well.

"Brooke, you're the reason I'm wearing the damn thing, so you can shut up too." I say quietly, my gaze fixed out of my window. I don't know why this is bothering me so much, Brooke dresses me all the time and Luke complains about it, but tonight it's different. Maybe its cause of Brooke's, take a chance comment, maybe I'm tired of being "Tutor Girl" all the time. I don't know, but this; sucks.

Other than Jake and Peyton talking quietly in the backseat, I think that's the quietest the six of us have been together since, well…forever. Nathan pulls into a parking spot once we get to Tric, and everyone climbs out of the car. I start walking towards the entrance but I feel a tug at my arm, so I turn around.

"What Lucas?" I snap. I know I shouldn't be as mad as I am, he's just protecting me, but he basically called me a whore, so ya know…

"Look Haley, I'm sorry okay? I really am! I'm just…you've always been like a sister to me and I know you can be so much better than what your outfit portrays." He says with sincerity in his eyes. I'm tempted to give in, I hate arguing with Lucas, I hate arguing period, but he needs to know he crossed a line. _Tough love baby, tough love. _

"I understand you're protective Luke, and I appreciate it, really, I do. But I'm wearing Brooke's outfit, which by the way isn't any worse than what she's wearing. So what's the difference? Why's it ok for Brooke, or even Peyton, but not for me? Huh?" I ask, my voice breaking as I finish. _God I'm such a girl! Why am I crying?!?_

"Hales-" I narrow my eyes at him.

"HALEY, sorry. Look I didn't mean to upset you, and I really didn't mean to make you cry. To be honest, I don't know why I didn't say anything to Peyt or Brooke, I guess I'm just used to them dressing like that. I'm sorry. I promise I won't say anything about it okay?"

I look him in the eyes, playing tug-o-war in my mind as to whether or not I should let him off this easy. You know in the cartoons, when someone has a conscious decision to make, they have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other? That's how I feel, except my devil is equivalent to Brooke, who's telling me to put Luke through hell, make him fight for it. My angel, however dark, is Peyton. She's telling me to let it go, there's no point in fighting this to the death.

I sigh, lifting a hand to Luke's outstretched one. "Okay. But I promise you Lucas Eugene Scott, if you ever treat me like that again, you won't have to worry about getting Brooke pregnant anymore, got it?" I ask, a half-joking glare on my face.

"Damn. Yeah okay, got it!" He laughs, tangling me in a hug before running to do damage control with Brooke who's tapping her foot impatiently at the entrance.

I take a deep breath, regaining my composure as I hear footsteps behind me. I turn, my teary brown eyes meeting with his beautiful blue ones, dancing with concern. He reaches his hand out for mine, and I smile as I slip my hand into his.

"You okay Hales?" He asks. I'm trying to concentrate on what he's saying, I really am, but that becomes increasingly difficult when he absent mindedly laces our fingers together.

"Hales?" He asks again, the concern in his voice matching that in his eyes.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine…just, making sure Lucas knows his place." I stumble out, hoping he doesn't see the tears that I quickly wipe away.

He extends his free hand, caressing his hand gently across my face, letting it linger beneath my chin as lifts my face to meet his. "Then why are you crying sweetie?"

I involuntarily let out a small laugh/scoff/snort thing that is probably really unattractive. Ah, he makes me want to scream! _**I'm crying because my best friend just called me a whore! I'm crying because I'll never be what Peyton and Brooke think I can be! I'm crying because I'm in love with you and you can't even see it!** There now, feel better?_

"I don't know, I'm a girl, we're allowed to cry." I say with a shrug, attempting to lighten the mood.

"My girl's not. I don't ever want to see tears coming out of those pretty brown eyes unless they're happy tears, you got it?" My breath hitches in my throat._ My Girl. Seriously…does this boy know what he does to me? I mean, geez Nate, why don't I just hand you my heart so you can't rip it to pieces?_

I give him a smile, it doesn't quite reach my eyes, but I'm trying. "Got it, no more tears."

He smiles back at me, leans down to kiss my forehead, and we walk towards the rest of the group.

"Come on Tutor Girl! Tonight is a night of taking chances!" Brooke exclaims as she links arms between me and Peyton, who's eyeing me suspiciously. I look back at her, my brow creased in confusion.

"Hey, B.Davis," she says, finally breaking eye contact. "Why don't you go see if you can talk the boys into paying for our drinks?"

Brooke smiles deviously before bounding off to the boys, leaving me and Peyton at our usual table.

"Okay girlie, spill."

"Umm I would…if I knew what the hell you were talking about?" I say, eyeing Peyton as if she's lost her mind, not that it's not possible.

"You and Nathan, what was that about?"

"What do you mean Peyton?" I ask with a nervous laugh. _Get it together James! Don't let 'em see you sweat!_

"You know what I mean, what's going on between you guys?" She said, giving me the, 'don't feed me your BS' look that she's come to perfect over the years.

"We weren't acting different than we normally do. He was just worried about me, that's why he was holding my hand. That's it."

Peyton shakes her head defiantly. "No. There was definitely more. I can see it in your eyes Haley James, don't lie to me." _Damnit, damnit, damnit! Way to go Haley! Peyton's got you figured. Then she'll tell Brooke, who's bound to tell Luke and he'll tell Nathan and Jake and then they'll all hate me and won't be my friends anymore and…OK. Get a hold of yourself Haley, just deny it to Peyton. _

"Haley? You're in to him aren't you?" _Dun, dun, dun…and here it is ladies and gentlemen…_

_Just tell her no Haley. _I shake my head back and forth, the all American sign for no. I sit up straighter, confidence building to voice my answer. "Yes."

_WHAT?!? How…why…wow…and the 2006 Idiot of the Year Award, non other than Miss Haley James, come on down!_

Peyton's eyes got wide. She opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out, at least nothing coherent to the English language.

"Look, Peyton I –"

"How long?" She interjects.

"What?" I sputter out. I'm all of a sudden like, gasping for air. And I could SWEAR the walls are moving in.

"How long Haley? How long have you liked Nate?" She asks, her voice almost as frantically as I feel. Why the hell is she nervous?! I'm the one in the hot seat!

I sigh, throwing my head down into my hands. "I don't know." I mumble. "A while."

Peyton continues to just look at me…guess that means she wants me to keep talking. Damn, what the hell does she want, a freakin' play by play?!?

I shrug dramatically. "I don't know Peyton, ok? It just sort of happened. I don't know when or why. But I do know if you say anything to anyone, it's going to suck, so PLEASE don't. Please Peyton."

"Haley honey, I'm just glad you finally admitted it." She says simply, and understanding smile on her lips.

_Wha..?!? I'm just…flabbergasted! Hm, I don't know if that's a word, but if it is…that's how I feel._

"What do you mean?"

"Haley, it's obvious to everyone in our little group, except maybe Nathan, that you are head over heels for that boy. Brooke and I even placed bets on when you would crack." She says chuckling to herself as if recalling the memory.

"Crack about what?" comes a voice from behind me, causing me to jump so high in my seat, I think I just broke a record. _Seriously, someone call Ripley's Believe It or Not!! cause I should get paid for that!_

"Oh hi, _NATE_!" Peyton says, emphasizing his name which makes me want to emphasize her face with my fist…_okay so that didn't make sense, but no one ever said I thought rationally all the time._

"Hey, what are you girls talking about?" Nathan asks with a smile, setting our drinks down in front of us and sitting down next to me, draping his arm lazily around my waist. _Ok so normally I wouldn't think twice about it, much less complain, but now I suddenly feel like everyone knows my secret. _I squirm slightly, loosening his arm from my waist. He turns to me with a confused look, but I think I see hurt flash in his eyes too. _Way to go Haley. _I give an apologetic smile before adjusting myself back in his arms, looking up to find now both Peyton AND Brooke smirking at me. _GREEAT._

"Nothing. We weren't talking about anything, Peyton was just saying how-" I start, rushing out before either of the girls can speak, but Peyton's one step ahead of me.

"I was just saying how Haley should take more chances. Don't you think?"

Nathan glances at me confused. "What do you mean, more chances?"

This time, Brooke fields the question. "Well, like how she got dressed up tonight. That was taking a chance, not a very big one, but still…just about everything for Tutor Girl is taking a chance." She says, smiling at me innocently when I shoot daggers in her direction with my eyes.

"Yeah but-" Lucas starts but stops quickly when he receives glares from all three girls.

"Hey, Haley takes chances." Jake says. _Thank God for Jake, I knew someone had to be on my side. _

"Like what?" Nathan asks innocently. I roll my eyes, way to open that can Nate.

"Like uh…well remember that one time she-oh, no wait, that was Peyton." He stutters out before stopping to think. "Okay so that…hmm. Sorry Haley." Jake says with a sympathetic smile, while everyone else at the table begins laughing.

_Okay can we just do 15 seconds on the situation at hand? As of now, at least 2/5ths of my best friends know I'm in love with Nathan, I am sitting at a table where I have all 5 afore mentioned best friends laughing at me, and…I'm wearing REALLY uncomfortable shoes. Okay…back to your regular broadcasting program._

"You guys leave Hales alone, she's who she is…risk taker or not." Nathan says sweetly. _Ouch. Was that…was that supposed to hurt? 'Cause it definitely did. Yep there's pain, right there around the heart area. _

The deejay starts playing, causing Luke and Brooke to break off towards the dance floor. Jake dramatically bows before offering Peyton to dance, who laughs before accepting. Nathan and I sit there for a minute in silence, and I know what's coming next.

"So Hales do you want to dance?" He asks. _Okay, normally, I would jump at the chance to put my hands any where near his oh-so toned body, but for some reason, I'm just not feeling it tonight. It maybe the fact that I'm sure Brooke and Peyton would be having silent conversations about it, or the fact that my five best friends just unknowingly verbally attacked me, but whatever it is…it's put me in a dark place._

"You know Nate, I'd love to but-" I start, but I'm rudely interrupted by, can ya guess? If you said Rachel, see me after the story to claim your prize.

"Hey Nate!" She says sweetly, and I swear as we sit here she's undressing him with her eyes. "Haley."

"Rachel." I bite back.

"So Nate, you want to dance?" She asks, already grabbing his hand in effort to lift him from his seat.

"Um well, actually I was just asking Hales-"

I shake my head, attempting to smile. "No it's ok Nate, go dance." _Okay, now you may want to write this down, cause it'll NEVER happen again, but…I'm actually grateful to Rachel for once. I know, I know…it's crazy._

He frowns in confusion. "Are you sure?"

I nod slightly, trying my hardest to hold back the tears I feel coming on. "Yeah, my feet are killing me anyways Go, have fun."

"Maybe if you wouldn't dress like a whore, your feet wouldn't hurt." Rachel mumbles just loud enough for me to hear.

"What, are you afraid I'm going to steal your look Rachel?" I snap out. _She is seriously the LAST person I want to be around right now. Actually…she's always the last person I want to be around. Teehee…sometimes I forget how much I hate her!! _

"Haha. Come on Nathan." She says, pulling him away from the table.

"Are you sure Hales?" He shouts as he gets further away. I simply send him a thumbs up, because at this point, if I speak, there will be enough tears to cause a flash flood.

I'm still completely upset about the whole taking chances thing. They don't know what they're talking about, I take chances all the time…_HA! Who are you kidding James? _I shake my head, willing the tears in my eyes not to fall. I've got to do something about this, I've got to show them, show _MYSELF_, that I can be more than just Tutor Girl.


	11. Let Me Fall

_**First off, thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers, I heart you guys mucho. Secondly…I would just like to reiterate that I have once again fallen in love with James Lafferty and his portrayal of Nathan. One Tree Hill broke my heart and melted it all at the same time…it's multifaceted! Seeing James cry…man…wow. I love him. Anywho…on to the story! Enjoy!**_

_**OH! Wait! Come back, that's right, tear your eyes away from the story and read this boring, 'who gives a damn what the writer has to say' part…I promise, it's important.**_

**_This chapter is going to be different than the others in that it's going to be told in two different perspectives instead of just Haley's, it'll be hers and the oh-so awesome Nathan. Get it? Got it? Good. Now start reading!_**

_Nathan's P.O.V_

_So Haley's acting weird tonight. I don't know what the deal is, but something is totally off with that girl tonight and I would know; I can read that girl like a book…not that I enjoy reading, but if I was going to read, it would definitely be Haley. Hm…that sounds dirty. _

"Nathan!" I hear Rachel squawk and I turn my attention to her, smiling apologetically cause I actually forgot she was there, even though we've been dancing for a while. Now I'm sure if I let one of the girls tell you this story, they'd make Rachel out to be a really big manipulative whorish bitch, but they're not telling this story. I am, so I'm gonna tell it like it is….Rachel Gatina ladies and gents, is a manipulative whorish bitch…but she's hot! …_What?!? I never said my story would be different!_

Okay so I'm kidding, kind of. I will admit that Rachel can be a bitch, especially to Brooke and Haley, and yeah, she…gets around, but she's not all bad. One on one she's nicer, less defensive. Less…well, bitchy.

"Sorry Rachel…I kind of zoned out for a minute." I tell her as a slower song comes on and she drapes her arms tightly around my neck.

"What were you thinking about? Haley?" She asks quirking her eyebrow in annoyance.

_Okay…so why does everyone automatically assume every time I zone out, I'm thinking about Haley? Yeah, so this time I was, but not all the time. I mean, I think about her…often, but she's my best friend, I'm supposed to worry about her. _

"Uh, no I was just thinking." I state coolly.

Rachel looks at me skeptically. "Uh huh." And then, as if she was never upset, she snuggles up closer to me, her mouth grazing my ear as she purrs out, "Well how about I give you something different to think about."

I chuckle nervously. _Wait…what? Why am I chuckling nervously? I'm Nathan Scott, damnit! I have a reputation! Why am I not moving in already? Oh yeah…maybe cause it's Rachel and the girls would skin me alive if I did anything more than dance with her._

"Haha. Um…I don't think so Rachel, sorry." I say, backing away from her as the song ends. My eyes glance to our table in an effort to check on Haley, but she's not there. A dose of panic washes through me before I feel Rachel's finger trailing teasingly down my chest. _If only this girl knew what she was doing to me…absolutely nothing. She'd be awfully disappointed. _

"Come on Natey, we could go have fun somewhere else." She whispers, her hands continuing to roam my chest. _Natey?!? I've been called a lot of things, but Natey?!? _

I gently collect her hands, pushing them away from me. "Put some ice on it Rachel." I once again search for Haley, but I don't see her anywhere. _Calm down Nate, Haley's a big girl, she probably just went to the bathroom or something._

"I thought you liked me Nathan." My brow creases in confusion. _Where the hell did she get that idea from?_ I hate to have to be mean to her, but I'm sure as hell not going to let her think that we were going ANYWHERE.

"Look Rachel, you can be a cool person sometimes, and maybe if you weren't such a bitch to Hales and Brooke, I might have liked you. But even if I did, that doesn't automatically mean I want to get in your pants ok?" At this, she throws her head back and begins to laugh; laughing so hard it causes at least 5 people to turn around and look at us. _Alrighty then, wasn't supposed to be funny, but ya know…whatever._

"Nathan Scott. You are good at a lot of things, but trying to play innocent isn't one of them. Try again." She says once more in my ear before leaning up and crashing her lips into mine.

_Haley's POV_

_What the hell was I thinking? Thinking I could go through with this is just ridiculous. No matter how much I want to change, I'm always going to be plain ol' Haley James. It's like Grease…except I don't have the guts to change…and we have MUCH better fashion sense…oh god, I've officially been around Brooke Davis too long. _

From where I am, I can see my friends dancing, although I'd rather not see the way Luke and Brooke are dancing. ::Shudders:: they should probably be using protection if they're going to be dancing like that. I divert my scarred virgin eyes to Peyton and Jake and automatically a smile is on my face. I love seeing them interact; they're so into each other it's not even funny. Finally my eyes settle on Nathan and my smile drops. I know I shouldn't be upset, I have no right to be jealous and I am the one who told him to dance.

_::Slaps forehead:: You're an idiot James. Why would you agree to letting him dance with that…that…Rachel. Good job, might as well have handed them a condom as they walked off and told them to have fun. Smooth move._

So, it's not that I don't think highly of Nathan or that I think he's in anyway a disrespectful guy, but he is a guy. And Rachel could manipulate her way out of the death sentence, even though she couldn't spell her way out of a paper bag._ Teehee…I am so clever. _So I stand here, watching Rachel seductively dance with Nathan, my Nathan and all of a sudden my confidence is revived and I'm ready to, as Tim would say, 'do the damn thing'.

"Haley, are you sure you want to do this?" Karen asks worriedly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I smile nervously, "Yeah Karen, this is something I have to do for me." She nods silently and hugs me, her warmth and concern consuming me. I pull away as she holds me at arms length, and I smile. It feels like the first real smile I've smiled in a long time. I take a deep breath, a nod my head, signaling to Karen that I'm ready.

As she walks up on stage, I look once again at my friends; Lucas, Brooke, Peyton and Jake are all standing together, seemingly mesmerized by something across from them. I follow their stares, my heart dropping as I see what their looking at. Automatically the tears well up in my eyes, and I will them not fall.

Rachel is kissing Nathan. MY Nathan. _How many times must I reiterate that he's my Nathan?!?_ All of a sudden, the reality of what I'm about to do seems foolish, what's the point now?_ The point is to do it for you Haley, not Nathan. _

I turn my eyes back to the other four, and see that Brooke and Peyton are searching for me through the crowd. I shake my head and exhale deeply, preparing myself fully for what I'm about to do. I turn to face Karen on the stage, who's just reached the microphone.

"Hey you guys! So as you know, every second Friday of the month is open mic night here at Tric. So without further ado, I'm very pleased to introduce our first performer, Miss Haley James!"

_Nathan's POV_

_WOW. So, I'm going to tell you a secret and then deny it if it ever gets out. I have actually thought about kissing Rachel several times. Not because I think she's the one, basically, just because I figured she'd be a damn good kisser. I know, I know…that probably makes me sound like a really big ass, but I am a guy. But as I stand here, her kissing me, I feel…absolutely nothing. It's like, kissing a rock or something. _

I pull away, my unamused eyes meeting her lustful ones, she's smirking at me and I want nothing more than to rewind back to a couple of minutes ago and walk away.

"See, that was fun wasn't it?" She asks, leaning back up to me.

"Rachel! What the hell was that?" I ask, looking around and unfortunately making eye contact with two, very pissed off girls.

"Most people call it a kiss Nathan." She snaps at me before turning around and following my gaze. She once again smirks, except this time it's evilly.

_Uh oh. This is not going to be pretty, Hell hath no fury like that of a pissed of Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer. It's a good thing Hales isn't here 'cause Rachel would be in deep shit then. Haley. Where the hell did she go?_

"NATHAN DANIEL SCOTT! YOU BETTER LOOK AT ME!" Brooke shouts up at me, quickly causing my eyes to redirect to her very upset face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Scott?" Peyton asks accusingly, arms crossing her chest, signaling that she means business.

"It's called a kiss. You know, like the thing you can do to my ass?" Rachel cackles out. I slowly back up, seeing it as a necessary precaution.

"Rachel…I want you to listen to me, and I want you to listen to me good. I better not EVER see you anywhere near Nathan, much less kissing him, EVER again, You got me?" Peyton says angrily, surprising even me. Usually it's Brooke and Haley bitching out Rachel and Peyton telling them to cool it.

Rachel scoffs. "Whatever goldilocks, it takes two ya know?" And with that she winks at me and turns to leave. Once she's out of firing range, Brooke and Peyton bring all their attention to me.

"So fish lips…what do you have to say for yourself?" Brooke asks as she burns a hole through me with her laser eyes. I'm thrown off a second by the fish lips comment, _Only Brooke. _

"You guys, it was completely Rachel. I really didn't know she was going to kiss me. I wouldn't do that to Hales."

…_Wait a minute…Stop. Rewind…".selaH ot taht od t'ndluow I"…ok, play that back again…"I wouldn't do that to Hales."…yep, ok, so that's definitely what I said. Now why the hell did I say that?!? _

I shake from my thoughts and find Peyton and Brooke still staring at me, except now, they have completely different expressions on their faces.

"Nathan," Peyton starts out slowly. "What does Hales, Haley, whatever, have to do with this?"

I look between the girls, trying to figure out how I'm going to explain what I meant. Hell, I don't even know what I meant! I don't even know why I said it, it just came out.

"I…"

_What does Haley have to do with this? Why would me kissing Rachel matter to Haley, other than it pissing her off cause she thinks Rachel's a slut. Thinking back on the kiss, I realize the only two things going through my head were:_

a.)Kissing Rachel is like kissing a rock.

_b.)What about Haley?_

_But it still doesn't compute. Why would I be thinking about Haley, while kissing another girl? It's not like I have feelings for Haley…do I?_

"Hello? Earth to Nathan!" Peyton says, waving her hand in front of my face. "I asked you a question."

I open my mouth to answer, but I'm interrupted by Karen on stage. _Saved by the bartendress. _

"This isn't over Nathan Scott." Brooke hisses at me, still eyeing me suspiciously.

_Oh boy Brooke, can't wait. _I can't get over what I said, I sit there mulling over what just happened, not really paying attention to Karen, until she says something that catches my attention.

"….I'm very pleased to introduce our first performer, Miss Haley James!" Everyone around me cheers, excluding my four best friends who all look as confused as me. I see Haley walk out on stage, the spot light framing her petite body as she sits down shakily at the keyboard. Even from where I'm standing I can see the fear in her eyes, and as she looks into the crowd, her eyes locking with mine, I see pain.

_Haley's POV_

_I'm so nervous I think I might throw up. On the other hand, it may not be nerves, it might be the gut wrenching pain I feel from seeing Nathan and Rachel kissing. Yep, I'm betting that's what it is._

As I situate myself at the keyboard, I look out into the audience, my eyes locking with an all too familiar pair of blue ones. Even from where I'm sitting, I can see the confusion in his eyes. I quickly pull my gaze away from his, as I focus all I have on the instrument in front of me.

"_Don't think, just play." _I whisper to myself as my fingers pressed down on the keys, the chord emitting from the speakers startling me a bit.

_**It's October again**_

_**Leaves are coming down**_

_**One more year's come and gone**_

_**And nothing's changed at all**_

_**Wasn't I supposed to be someone**_

**_Who can face the things that I've been running from…_**

As I play, I close my eyes, letting myself be completely immersed in the song. At this moment, everything I feel, my love for Nathan, the pain of my broken heart, the wanting to be so much more than what I'm seen as, comes through the words.

_**Let me feel, I don't care if I breakdown**_

_**Let me fall, even if I hit the ground**_

_**And if I...**_

_**Cry a little**_

_**Die a little**_

_**At least I know I lived, just a little...**_

I open my eyes, letting them adjust to the brightness of the spot lights before once again searching the crowd for that one person.

_Nathan's POV_

_**I've become much too good at being invincible**_

_**I'm an expert at play it safe, and keep it cool**_

_**But I swear this isn't who I'm meant to be**_

_**I refuse to let my life roll all over me...**_

My eyes once again lock with Haley's and in an instant, it's like she knows. I feel as if she knows about the kiss, and can sense my confusion about my sudden admittance of thinking about her. I will myself to look away, not feeling worthy to look in her eyes, but I simply can't. Her voice has me hooked; mesmerizing me with every word, chord, and harmony.

_**Let me feel, I don't care if I breakdown**_

_**Let me fall, even if I hit the ground**_

_**And if I...**_

_**Cry a little**_

_**Die a little**_

_**At least I know I lived, just a little...**_

_Haley's POV_

I stare into Nathan's eyes, willing myself to look away in hopes of easing the pain in my heart, but I simply can't. I feel as if he knows I'm singing for him, about him; the confusion in his eyes dancing with the amazement at my sudden performance. He has me hooked.

_**I wanna be somebody**_

**_I, I wanna be somebody_**

**_I wanna be somebody_**

**_I, I wanna be somebody_**

**_Wwho can face the things that I've been running from_**

I finally pull my eyes away from his, shutting them as the song climaxes. I can feel the tears in my eyes gently spill over as my voice quietly breaks from my crying. I continue to play, allowing myself to cry and perform freely, letting everything out.

_Nathan's POV_

She closes her eyes as the song climaxes, allowing me to release the breath I didn't realize I was holding. I feel two pairs of eyes on me, so I look down to meet Brooke and Peyton's gaze. They knowingly smile at me, their eyes telling me that they understand now. And I'm pretty sure I just saw Peyton slap a twenty dollar bill into a giddy Brooke's palm…

_**Let me feel, I don't care if I breakdown**_

_**Let me fall, even if I hit the ground**_

_**And if I**_

_**Cry a little**_

_**Die a little**_

_**At least I know I lived...**_

I'm pulled back to Haley when I hear her voice break, as I take in the sight of her pouring out her heart over her keyboard, tears streaming from her eyes. _God, she's beautiful._

_Haley's POV_

_**It's October again**_

_**Leaves are coming down**_

_**One more year's come and gone**_

_**And nothing's changed at all**_

I finish the song quietly, my voice only a few decibels louder than a whisper. For a moment it's silent and I want to sink down into the chair. And then, as if rehearsed, the audience begins to applaud, people screaming and doing that weird noise thing that sounds like a howl.

I smile out at the audience, letting my gaze shortly land on Nathan who's eyes have never left mine and he's got a gentle, 'I'm proud of you' smile on his face. _If only he knew…_

I say thank you in the microphone softly before walking off the stage, only to be bombarded by Brooke, who just about jumps in my arms!

"Oh my God! TUTOR GIRL?!? Why didn't you tell anyone you could belt it out like that?" She asks excitedly as Peyton pushes her out of the way to hug me.

I let out a small giggle and shrug. "I don't know, my shower head was fully aware of it though."

As the girls pull away laughing, I feel a pair of strong arms wrap me in a bear hug and I know in an instant its Lucas. "I'm proud of you Haley. That was great." He whispers in my ear.

"Thanks." I whisper back as I pull away, a smile on my face but tears in my eyes.

"Yeah Haley, that was awesome!" Jake exclaimed, giving me a side hug and a wink. "If I wasn't in to Peyton I'd ask you out." He said with a laugh before realizing what he said. Everyone turns to him, and I swear his face is the darkest color red I've ever seen.

"I meant…" he stutters out, but is cut off by Peyton who leans in and kisses him.

"It's okay Jake, me too." She says with a simple smile. Brooke and I both aw, even though on the inside I'm jealous of Peyton's luck. I turn to face the one person I have yet to talk to, and I know I have to make a decision.

_Let me give you the low down on what's going on in the complex mind of Haley James, you may want to take some notes. Alright here it goes. I have two choices I can either: _

_Completely blow Nathan off and be a bitch to him because well, he kissed Rachel and he knows how much I loathe her. Yes, that's right, loathe.  
_

_I can pretend like everything's fine and if Rachel comes up, give him a simple, friendly reminder of the kind of person she is, before giving him my blessing. I can support him and his decision, because all I really want if for him to be truly happy._

_So I guess it wasn't ever much of a choice huh? We all know I'm going with option 'b'…damn me and my rational thoughts._

"Hey Nate." I say softly. "What did you think?"

He steps toward me, wrapping me in a gentle hug that, if I'm judging correctly, seems to linger a bit longer than usual. "You were great Hales. I'm completely amazed." He says equally as soft, the confusion in his voice matching that in his eyes.

"Thanks." I say with a smile, feeling that oh-so familiar flush sweep across my cheeks. I look up at Nathan, who's looking down at me with an adoring smile. I smile once more before turning to catch up to everyone else, but all of a sudden, his hand slips in mine, gently pulling me back.

_Nathan's POV_

I realized after hugging her, I let it linger longer than usual, but I needed to know she was there, I don't know why, I just did. As she pulled away, she looked up at me, a smile on her face, but the masked pain evident in her gorgeous brown eyes. I want to do nothing more than just hold her there for a while, just me and her.

_When did I start thinking like this? When did I start to use adjectives such as gorgeous and beautiful when thinking of Haley? When did I start to see Haley as more than just my best friend? _

And then it hits me, I always did. I always thought more of Haley, I always treated her different than Brooke and Peyton, I always showed her more affection. I always loved her. _Now what the hell do I do with this new found knowledge?_

After exchanging polite, short conversation, she turns with a smile to go, but it's like my body has a mind of it's own as I grab her hand, pulling her back to me. She looks up to me, her hand still in mine, and I wonder if she knows how my heart flips when she laces our fingers together.

_Haley's POV_

I turn back to face him, leaving my hand in his and trying my best toignore the way my heart flips when I lace our fingers together. He continues to gaze down at me, seemingly having a battle within himself as to whether he wants to speak or not. Suddenly, it's like he snapped out of a trance, a nervous, but genuine smile…_that's right ladies and gents, Nathan Scott can do more than melt hearts with a smart ass smirk_...

"Hales, we need to talk."

**_So if I do say so myself…I'm damn proud of this chapter. Especially the song part. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! And to reward you guys for being such awesome readers…I'm going to give you the honor of getting to submit a review! How excited are you?!? Haha. XOXO_**


	12. Hear You Me

_**Alright so first I want to thank everyone for the awesome reviews, it really makes me feel proud to know that my work is appreciated by others, so thanks. Secondly, just FYI this chapter is also going to be in the different perspectives of Haley and Nathan, and will be strictly a Haley/Nathan chapter so the length is in accordance to where the chapter needs to end. Hope you guys and gals enjoy!**_

_Nathan's POV_

"_Hales, we need to talk."_

Those words echo in my head as I stand here, looking like a dumb ass in front of Haley. I play them over and over, trying to figure out why the hell I said them. Yeah, it's true we need to talk, but that doesn't know I know what I'm going to say!

'_Hey Hales I know we've been best friends forever and you probably think I'm really stupid but uh, I just realized I love you.'…_yeah, don't see that happening.

"Nathan?" her voice snaps me back to reality as she gently guides my face back to hers. "Is this about Rachel?"

_Wow…things just went from confusing to down right screwed up. How does she know about Rachel?!_

I try to think of something cool, calm and collected to say. "Wha..what about Rachel?" I ask, my voice breaking like I'm still going through puberty. _Smooth move Scott._

Haley sighs, turning her face away from me for a minute.

"Look Nate, I saw you kissing Rachel and it's cool. I mean, yeah she's not my favorite person but if you like her I can make an effort to be civil." She rushes out, and I'm pretty sure I see tears in her eyes.

_Haley's POV_

_Okay, there. I said it, it's out there. I play the "supportive best friend" part damn well if I do say so myself. I should get an Oscar or an Emmy, something; cause Lord knows it's taking all I have not to break down right now. _

Nathan looks at me stunned for a moment and I think he picked up on the tears. _Damn me, I make it all the way through the Notebook without shedding a tear but he looks at me and I cry like someone killed my dog. _

"You think I like Rachel?" he asks, his voice high and laced with shock.

_Okay is it just me, or is this boy acting weird? I don't know what his deal is, but something's off and believe me, I would know. I can read that boy like a book…and I love to read, and if I was going to read anything; it'd be Nathan. Hmmm…that sounds dirty. _

"Haley?"

"What? Oh, yeah…well it kind of became obvious when I saw you swapping spit with her." I snapped out. _Oh…wow. I was totally not meaning to be a bitch about it. _

I look up at Nathan and he's got a hurt expression etched into his handsome face.

_Nathan's POV_

_Ouch. So, apparently she's not too hip on the whole Rachel thing. Not that I need her to be because there is no Rachel thing, but I thought she'd be more understanding._

"Ok." I start out slowly, not sure what to say in order to keep this conversation civil. "First of all, we weren't 'swapping spit' and second of all there is nothing going on with me and Rachel."

"PFFFTT." Haley let's out, dropping her hold on my hand as she does so, and all of a sudden I feel empty and angry.

"Haley, what is your problem?" I ask, trying to make my voice as gentle as possible, but the anger is still present.

She spins towards me, so close to my face I can feel her ragged breath against mine.

"What is my problem?!? What is your problem?? The girl's a slut Nathan, she wants you 'cause you're hot and you're so blinded by her lack of clothing to notice that she just wants to sleep with you. And I mean seriously, the girl dances with you once and she's already got you hooked? What is that about?"

_Haley's POV_

_Wow. Cool, calm and collected to crazy, physcho bitch in .3 seconds; I think that's the second record I've set tonight, I should definitely be getting some kind of trophy for this._

I cast my eyes towards Nathan, mentally kicking myself when I see the hurt look on his face. This is not how this was supposed to go. I was supposed to tell him I was happy for him, tell him to be careful and leave it at that. But no, I had to go and screw everything up. _Smooth move, James. _

"Hales, I-" he starts, extending his hand out for me but I snatch away. I know he didn't do anything wrong, and he doesn't deserve this, but I'm so upset right now I'm not thinking straight.

"Don't 'Hales' me, Nathan. I don't want to hear it."

He looks taken aback but continues to reach out for me. "Don't want to hear what?"

I chuckle sarcastically. "I don't want to hear your lame excuses as to how Rachel's lips ended up attached to yours." I spit back, glaring up at him, the tears in my eyes spilling over.

_Nathan's POV_

_So, in my lifetime, I've screwed up…a lot. And I've been yelled at even more, but I've never been so hurt by words in my life. I mean, did I miss something, cause obviously I did. _

I look down at Haley, my hand longing to reach out and wipe the tears away from her face, but I decide against it. I have so many thoughts and emotions going through my head I feel as if I could drown from their pressure. I bring my eyes to hers, searching for their normal softness only to be met with pain and hatred.

"Haley for the last time the kiss was all Rachel! What is your problem?" I ask again, knowing that between my choice of words and tone of voice, I'm not helping anything, but at this point, I'm so hurt I don't care.

"I told you what my problem is Nathan!" She snaps, the pain in her eyes intensifying.

"No you didn't. You told me what my apparent 'problem' is, but it's obvious that there's a bigger problem here." I bite back. I have to force myself to be harsh with her, Haley and I have never fought before so it's all new to me.

_Haley's POV_

_Yes I know…I'm a jerk. A big one. And I should be tarred and feathered for making my sweet Nathan so upset. I just…I can't take it anymore. _

"Haley, I asked you a question." He says deadpanned, his voice void of any emotion.

And this is it, the moment of judgment, the time to decide whether to put it all out in the open. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing this all to go away, to rewind back to a couple of minutes ago so I can just walk away; unfortunately I reopen my eyes just to find the same pain-filled baby blues staring impatiently back at me.

I inhale deeply, slowly. Mentally preparing myself for what is going to happen now.

"My problem Nathan." I start; my voice calm and soft, completely opposite of the terror and panic within. "My problem is that I can't look at you anymore without my heartbreaking. I can't stand the idea of you with anyone, much less Rachel. My problem is that you're my best friend and I'm in love with you. That's my problem." I chance one more gaze into his beautiful blue eyes, knowing it may be my last since I plan on dying of humiliation soon, I turn and walk away.

_Nathan's POV_

_Wow. And on the list of things not expected, that definitely takes the cake. So instead of chasing after her like a smart person would do, I continue to stand here like a dumb ass, watching her small figure retreat out of the back door. _

I never in my life would have imagined Haley James, my best friend since…forever, would have ever loved me in any other way than basic friendship. Not because I didn't want her to, I guess I just never felt worthy of it. But with her confession…everything changes; the feelings I realized I had for her earlier now only grow stronger, seizing my heart, tightening my chest.

"Nathan?...hello earth to Nathan?" I shake from my thoughts as I turn to look at Peyton.

I simply nod in acknowledgement of her presence, my mind racing to fast to properly complete a sentence.

She raises a quizzical brow at me, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "What's up with you? Where's Haley?"

I fix my mouth to speak but the words won't come out. _Why does Haley all of a sudden have a spell over me? Ha, you idiot. Why are you just now noticing the spell she has on you?_

"Nathan?" Peyton asks again, her voice riddled with concern.

"I…she went…Peyton, did you know?" _Way to complete a sentence there Nathan. _

Confusion settles across her brow for a moment before her eyes go wide with realization.

"Nathan, what did Haley say to you?"

All it takes is one look for Peyton to understand exactly what Haley said. She nods her head slowly, allowing herself to take it all in.

"Peyton, I…I don't know what to do." I breathe out, searching her eyes desperately in attempt to find my answer.

"Are you in love with her Nate?" she asks simply.

"Well yeah of course I love her, she's my best-"

Peyton shakes her head at me, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"I asked if you were IN love with her Nathan, not if you love her." I look at Peyton, her eyes dancing as if she already knows my answer.

I think about Haley, the way my heart flip-flops when she smiles at me, my constant need to be around her, the calmness that surrounds me when I look in her eyes. You'd have to be a fool not to see that I'm not in love with Haley. …_YES, we've established the fact that I'm an idiot, I got it!_

I nod silently in Peyton's direction, who is trying her hardest to contain her excitement.

"Then why are you still standing here Scott?" she asks before pushing me in the direction of the door.

**_So, not sure if I like this chapter or not. I like what it's about, not completely satisfied with the way it's written though, but that may be because the previous chapter was so intently written. Anyways hope you guys liked it and I hope you review! Thanks to Mercedes for her faith in me and my writing! _**


	13. Hate Myself For Loving You

**_I know, I know…I suck. Christmas holidays snuck up on me like a bad thief and I haven't had any time to update. How horrible of me, especially at the climax of the story::hangs head and sticks out hand:: go ahead, punish me. Anywho, this chapter is sincerely dedicated to my lovely Fatima (KissOnME : who has MUST READ stories!) and to my beloved cookies, er I mean baker of the cookies, James. Gosh how I love that boy::sighs contently:: Anywho, sorry. I've picked up the habit of rambly writing from Fatima! Lol On with the chapter!_**

_Nathan's POV_

_So you can't see me right now, but if you could; you'd be wondering why I've got my arms stretched out by my sides. It's quite simple actually, I'm attempting to show you how big of a jackass I am; unfortunately…my arms don't stretch that far. _

I rush out the doors of Tric, my eyes scanning the parking lot for Haley, who's no where to be found. I run my hand coarsely through my short hair; frantically racking my brain to figure out where Haley went and frustrated with myself for being an ass.

_Shouldn't I have like, telepathic 'I'm in love with my best friend' powers? Maybe if I close my eyes and concentrate, I'll be able to sense where Haley is; like a sixth sense or something. Eh? Eh?...nothing. Damnit Scott, try harder!_

I somehow manage to over look the fact that I'm standing alone in the middle of a parking lot, eyes closed, and muttering cuss words to myself. This ridiculous realization however comes to me when I hear someone standing in front of me let out a small sigh.

_Haley's POV_

_Go on, go on, just say it; I, Haley Lynn James, am a pansy. But I really just couldn't stand there after telling Nathan I love him; especially if he didn't feel the same. So I did the next logical thing… my pansy ass ran like I stole something. I shot across the dance floor, jetted through the door, and just about hurdled the stairs._

However, I didn't get too far; I collapsed at the bottom of the stairs in tears. Half of me wishing I could take it all back, the other half wishing Nathan would rush down those stairs and swoop me up in his arms. _5..4..3..2..1..nope. Damn, I have to cute back on those chick flicks._

I sit there, attempting collecting myself when I see a blurry figure rush out the front door. I wipe away my remaining tears, recognizing the confused figure as Nathan's. I watch him silently from my hidden seat, his body spinning in circles in his search for me and then, all of a sudden he stops as if an idea as hit him. He's standing statue still in the middle of the parking lot, eyes squeezed shut, and, if I'm not mistaken, he's cussing at himself.

_Okay…so maybe it was a dumb stick that hit him._

I quietly stand up, deciding that hiding will just result in Nathan having an aneurism or something. I can't help the smile that forms on my lips as I make my way toward him. He's looks so dumb…in that, 'I'm Nathan Scott and I could make cleaning a toilet look cute' kind of way.

I place myself in front of him, a safe couple of feet away, just to allow myself some comfort, and I let out a small sigh.

_Nathan's POV_

_I hear a sigh and in an instant, I know it's her. If only it didn't take looking like a fool for that best friend sense to kick in. My hand is itching to slam itself upon my fore head, creating a 'D'oh!' type sound to emit from my mouth._

Instead of beating myself, I inwardly take a deep breath and allow my eyes to open, immediately getting lost in her deep pools of chocolate eyes. My breath catches in my throat as I allow my eyes to take in her features. Her eyes are swollen from crying, her cheeks red, her lips in a pout. And even though she looks so sad and hurt, she's still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

"Hales." I breathe out, my eyes finding their way back to hers. She looks at me, her sad eyes never leaving mine, the pain in them making me hate myself. "Nathan, what are you doing?"

_Good question. At the moment, I'm trying to remember how to inhale and exhale properly with you in front of me._

I let out a small, nervous chuckle. "Would you believe me if I said I was trying to use telepathy?"

She shakes her head, an attempt of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Well no, but I also wouldn't have believed you knew such a big word like telepathy."

I let out a sarcastic laugh, before looking down at my feet, which I shuffle back and forth nervously.

_Haley's POV_

I watch him, all 6'2" of him, shuffling his feet like a five year old that just got in trouble and I can't help but grin. I know he wants to say something, I can tell by the way he's got his beautiful lips pursed together.

With all the confidence I can muster, I bring my hand beneath his face, forcing his gaze to mine, instantly absorbed into those beautiful blue pools.

"What's going on Nate?" I ask hesitantly, knowing this conversation won't be fun.

His gaze never leaves mine; I can see him wrestling with himself, debating if he wants to speak or not.

"Haley I-" he starts, but stops. He lets out a frustrated sigh while reaching out for me. I instinctively go towards him allowing his hands to rest softly on either side of my hips, attempting to ignore the heat I feel from his touch, my hands resting gently on his arms.

_Nathan's POV_

_Okay, so on top of looking like an idiot standing in the parking lot talking to myself, I also sound stupid. I swear, I had it all planned out; we were going to sit down, I was going to apologize for being an ass, tell her how I feel, and then never let her go. But as soon as I looked in her eyes, I lost it._

I instinctively open my arms to her, relieved when I see her moving towards me. I place my hands on her hips, enjoying the feel of warmth when she places her small hands on my arms. I gaze once more into her eyes, cursing myself for the pain and confusion I find there. I'd do anything to make that go away, to take that pain away from her, so I do the first thing I can think of;

I lean in and kiss her.

_Okay, I've lost count…how many times have I been a jack ass tonight? Alright, alright, don't get me wrong. I'm enjoying the kiss, but I don't think it's helping with her confusion._

_Haley's POV_

_Okay, on the list of things I expected him to do, kissing me…not so much one of them._

Before I can get another word out, Nathan's lips are on mine, a gentle, soft lingering kiss that in my opinion didn't last nearly as long as it should have. He pulls away, and even though my eyes are still closed, I can feel his gaze on me.

_Okay, first things first, I need my heart rate to go down a considerable amount before I even think about looking into his baby blues. Come James, get it together! It was only a kiss…ahahahaha only a kiss. Puh-lease! Who do I think I'm trying to fool?!? It was THE kiss, from THE guy. Okay Haley, you can do this, just open your eyes._

I slowly let my eyes flutter open, adjusting them to the night before allowing my eyes to meet his. I let out a slow, quiet sigh, and back away.

"Haley, wait I-" he starts, but I cut him off by shaking my head.

"No Nathan, just, no. The only explanation I want to hear his why you just kissed me." I demand, continuing to step back until I feel considerably safe from his touch.

_Nathan's POV_

_So…how weirded out do you think she'd be if I just started kicking my own ass right now? Yeah, you're right…it might be a little odd. Okay, so that means I have to face my consequences like a man. Hmmm…daddy dearest must have skipped that lesson, cause I'm kind of at a loss. _

She steps out of my reach, and instantly I feel lesser. The expression on her face is one of fear and confusion. I sigh. How do I express in words what I feel in my heart? I'm not good with words, or feelings, or…girls.

_Yes, yes I know; you're shocked. Nathan Scott not being good with girls is like Keith Richards not being good at guitar; impossible. But alas, it is true. While I am known as the 'Ladies Man' on Campus – ha yes, I know. I'm beautiful. Don't hate because I'm hot, hate me cause your girlfriend thinks so! Ahem, anyways- I don't know how to act around girls when I actually like them for more than the way their jeans fit. _

So here I stand, in front of the most beautiful, smart, caring girl, who I happen to be head over heels – _wait a minute…we're going to do 30 seconds on this 'head over heels' expression. See, I'm not always the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know certain things to be true like, Lucas will NEVER be as good at ballin' as I am, Tim's an idiot and your head is generally always over your heels. So why the expression? Me no comprende but anywho _– in love with, and I haven't the slightest idea what to say to her.

"Look Hales, I know I've been an ass, but you have to believe me it wasn't on purpose. You have to know I would never hurt you intentionally." I say pleadingly. _Man, do I sound like a pathetic loser._

Haley shakes her head and I know she's not buying it. "That's all well and good Nathan, but it's not what I asked you."

Just by the way she says my name, I can tell I'm in some deep trouble.

_Haley's POV_

_Poor boy, he's WAY in over his head. Hell hath no fury like a hurt Haley James…well, except maybe a pissed of Brooke Davis…yeah, that definitely trumps a hurt Haley James. But that's SO not the point right now._

I look at Nathan, he looks so…lost. I have to fight the urge to reach out and comfort him, he needs to know he messed up. He needs to know this is a big deal. He needs to know my heart is breaking.

He shrugs. "I don't know."

_Okay..wait, what?!? You don't know?!?! You kiss your best friend of forever after she told you she loved you and you don't know why you did it?!? I'm beginning to think him and Tim are brothers, cause that dumb gene is DEFINITELY making itself known._

"You don't know." I state slowly, enunciating all the words in an effort to play back his stupidity to him.

He sighs again, burying face in his hands for a moment as if to gather his thoughts.

"No, I do know I just…I'm not like you okay Haley?"

"You're not like me? What the hell does that mean?" I ask, not knowing whether or not to be offended.

"No! I mean, I'm not good at expressing myself like you are. It's hard for me." He says frantically, pleading with me to understand.

"So, what? You think it was easy for me to…to tell you how I felt? You think it's been easy for me to keep that bottled up inside? It hasn't Nathan, ok? It sucked and for some ridiculous reason, I thought breaking out of my shell and telling you would make me feel better but you know what? It didn't. It actually just made me feel worse. Because when I was dealing with that secret alone, I didn't have to worry about what you thought, but now that you know, and it's obviously you don't feel the same, I have to deal with the pain of a broken heart AND a broken friendship all at the same time."

_I know I should stop, take a breath, let Nathan have a word or two, but baby, I'm on a roll! Aside from the fact that I have tears running down my face and every other word is accompanied by an unattractive break in my voice, I think I'm doing pretty well._

"And on top of all that, you have the nerve to kiss me and then tell me you don't know why you did it. How could you do that to me Nate? Why would you do that to me? You always said you'd protect me, but you're the one that I need protection from!"

I finished with a sob, my fists flying wildly at his chest in an attempt to hurt him physically for my emotional pain. I swing until I'm out of energy, the hits to his chest becoming softer and softer as I collapse into his arms and sink slowly to the ground, tears covering my face.

_Nathan's POV_

My eyes are down cast as Haley yells at me; part of me too ashamed to look at her, the other part afraid to once again see the pain in her eyes. But my eyes connect with her's the minute she tells me that I'm what she needs protection from and it's like she ripped my heart out.

All my life, I have always vowed to Haley that I was going to be there to protect her, to guard her from the harmful, hurtful ways of the world. I never took into consideration that I might be the cause of her never ending pain. I have let her down more than I could ever imagine, and I hate myself for doing it.

She begins pounding her fist on my chest, releasing her pent up anger, hurt and heartbreak; I stand there and take it, feeling her emotional pain transcend into my physical pain, although I don't think they are comparable. As her energy subsides, she sinks into my arms and I slowly bring us both down onto the pavement, holding her closely as her body shakes raggedly from her sobs.

She leans her head against my chest, her tears soaking my shirt as I struggle to hold my own back. I gently push her hair out of her face, allowing my hand to linger against her tear stained cheek if only for a minute. I absent mindedly place a tentative kiss atop her head, before realizing that probably wasn't the best move.

"Hales," I whisper, afraid if I speak too loud she'll realize she's in my arms and move. "Haley, baby I am so sorry, I never meant to hurt you."

She lets out a ragged breath as another small sob escapes her lips. She shakes her head against my chest, but makes no attempt to move.

"Haley-" I try again but I'm cut off by her small voice.

"I'd like to tell you I hate you Nathan, I'd like to say this is all your fault." She starts, her voice growing stronger with each word.

She shrugs and continues. 'But I can't, because this is my fault. So I guess…I guess I hate myself."

She says as she pulls away, her eyes meeting mine with a small grin as if she knows the effect it has on me.

"Haley-" but once again, I'm cut of by a simple shake of her head as she stands up.

"No Nathan. Its true. I hate myself for allowing myself to fall in love with you. It's not your fault, it's mine." She states simply before turning on her heal and walking away.

I call out to her, but it proves to no avail as she continues to walk away. And for the second time that night, I stand there watching the girl I love walk away from me after breaking her heart.

_**Yes I know, not quite the ending you were expecting. But if I had made it all sunshine and butterflies I would have nothing else to write about, thus…the story would end. So…I figured…add fuel to the fire! Hope you enjoy and hope everyone has a very Happy Holiday season! I got a new guitar…it's almost as beautiful as my Sweet Baby James and lovely Fatima! **_

**_You know how to make Santa's nice list?!? By clicking that oh-so cute review button and leaving some kind words for Missy Krissy! XOXO_**


	14. State the Obvious

_**Because you've all been such oh-so good reviewers, I decided to update sooner! Ya love me don'tcha::smiles:: that's right, you better. Alright, once again, this chapter goes out to my Sweet Baby James (hands off Nikki! teehee)and my dear Fatima, oh how I love them so. Anyways boys and girls, ladies and gents, I present you with the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

_Haley's POV_

I continued to walk through the parking lot, down the street, with my head held high. I don't know why, but suddenly, I feel lighter, freer than I did a mere fifteen minutes ago. I hear Nathan call my name, hear the pain in his voice, but I walk on. I, Haley James, am liberated! Can't no man hold me down! I am an independent woman! I AM woman!

_Wait, wait, wait…hold the phone. If you seriously believe any of that crap I just told you, then you have NOT been paying attention to the story. We all know I, Haley James, am not liberated. Hell, if anything, I'm worse off than I was. Now, instead of secretly being in love with my best friend; said best friend knows I'm in love with him, doesn't feel the same way AND got the crap beat out of him…well, as much as little old me can beat the crap out of him. So let's try this again, shall we?_

When I feel like I can make my feet properly work, I turn on my heels and walk the other way, fighting the urge to rush back in to Nathan's arms the minute I hear him call my name. I continue to walk, tears streaming down my face until I know I'm out of sight, and then I once again collapse on the curb in tears. I pathetically sit there, drowning in my own tears, replaying the situation over and over in my head, going over the 'should've-would've-could've' until I create a nasty headache for myself.

I don't know how long I've been sitting here, but all of a sudden, Peyton and Brooke are at my sides, hugging me and comforting me. I hear Brooke mention something about girls night in, but I'm not really paying attention, all I can think about, is him.

_Nathan's POV_

I continue to stand there, my body aching to chase after her, to hold her again, but I know I shouldn't. I know Haley deserves to be happy, and obviously at the moment, I'm not the best person for that. I sigh one last time, willing the tears in my eyes not to fall, before turning back towards the door, knowing things won't be pretty when I go back inside.

"Nathan! How'd it go?" Peyton asks, bouncing up to me with an expecting grin on her face.

I turn to face her, hoping my expression says it all, but I'm surprised when instead of Peyton scolding me, Brooke turns around and socks me in the stomach.

_So, I know it's totally uncool to show your pain after being hit, especially if the person doing the hitting is a girl, but DAMN. Like I said earlier…Hell hath no fury._

I wince in pain, but show no other reaction. Sadly, I know I deserve every punch, comment and glare they throw my way.

_It's times like these when Haley would say I'm being self deprecating. And if I knew what that meant…I'd probably agree with her._

"Brooke!?!" Peyton exclaims, pulling Brooke away from me.

"What the hell did you do Scott?" Brooke demands, finger in my face, lips pursed; the international sign that Brooke Davis means business.

_And here it goes, wait for it, wait for it…and BAM! I've officially become a bigger pansy than my poetry reading-locker decorating-love declaring-brooder of a brother, because I, Nathan Scott, am crying. Now let's just get this straight, I am not full out weeping, but there are definitely tears in my eyes._

"Nathan" Peyton starts, eyeing me suspiciously. "What happened?"

I shake my head, afraid if I speak the tears in my eyes that threaten my manhood, will spill over.

"Nathan?" Brooke asks, her voice and expression both softened at the sight of my tear brimmed eyes.

"I screwed up. I screwed up big." I say, my voice small and broken.

"Well go after her Nathan, don't just stand there." Peyton says, once again pushing me in the direction of the door, but I shake my head.

"No, I can't. It's not fair to Haley, not right now." I say. I turn to leave, ready to go home, go to sleep and end this horrible night, even though I know sleep will not come easily tonight.

"But…I need you guys to do something for me." I say, turning around to once again face the girls, who both wear masks of concern and confusion.

"Yeah?" they chime together.

"I need you to uh, look after Haley tonight. She's sitting on the curb, just outside the club. Make sure she gets home safely, stuff like that. Please?" I ask pleadingly, my voice thick with emotions as I thank the girls and turn to leave.

_Haley's POV_

_So here I am, sitting in Brooke's bed, surrounded by my two favorite girls and enough chocolate to put anyone in a sugar based coma; and I'm completely miserable. Give me a P- give me an A-give me a N-give me a S-give me a Y…what's that spell? Haley. _

"Haley honey, are you ready to talk?" Brooke asks as she shuts of the TV.

I shake my head side to side, pathetically dropping another handful of M&Ms in my mouth.

Peyton turns suddenly, the movement causing the bowl of popcorn to flop on the floor. Her eyes go wide in surprise as Brooke and I jump from the noise. She looks at Brooke, obviously expecting a scolding, but Brooke just giggles and shrugs.

"The maids will get it!"

Peyton rolls her eyes before prying the bag of M&Ms from my hand and focusing all attention on me.

"Okay missy. We have let you sulk and binge and cry for the past two hours, now…it's time for you to talk." I roll my eyes in defiance, sinking further down into the bed, but Peyton presses on.

"Haley Lynn James, you are good at a lot of things, but keeping your emotions bottled up is not one of them."

"Although," Brooke interjects with a pointed finger. "She did do pretty well with the whole, 'I'm in love with Nathan' secret. No one saw that coming." Peyton gives Brooke a warning look which, if I wasn't so busy pouting like a five year old, I would laugh at.

"What? I was just saying." She says, throwing her hands in the air as a sign of defeat.

"Alrighty missy. Talk."

"Peyton! I don't want to talk! I just want to curl up in Brooke's over-sized, over-priced bed, and overload on chocolate until I die!" I whine, whisking the bed spread over my head.

"Well unfortunately for you, that wasn't the option given!" She quips, pulling down the comforter.

I roll my eyes in displeasure. "Gah! Fine, I'll talk. What exactly am I supposed to be talking about?"

Brooke raises her hand, stretching and 'oohing' like we're in school…_not that she answers questions in school._

"Ooh! Brooke would like to know what caused the Naley blow out!"

_Okay, I'm a little out of it so I'm going to need your help with this one. She definitely said Naley…right? Ok, yeah thought so. Now, uh…this is where you come in...what in the HELL is a Naley?!? Talk amongst yourselves and I'll get back to you._

"Uh, Brooke?" Peyton asks, her expression showing that she is, indeed, just as confused as I am.

"Yes P.Sawyer?"

"What or, who maybe, is a Naley?" At this, Brooke rolls her eyes.

"Hello? Nathan, Haley? Naley? Geez I thought **_you_** guys were the smart ones!" She exclaims as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Peyton turns to me, turns back to Brooke, and raises another quizzical eyebrow. "Ah ha. So that makes you and Lucas…what? Lrooke?"

Again, Brooke rolls her eyes at our 'stupidity'. "Brucas, duh! And it totally makes you and Jake…Jeyton! Awww!" she exclaims, clapping her hands excitedly.

_Jake and Peyton?!? When…OH YEAH, that seems like another life time ago. ::GASPS:: I totally found my out in this situation! Mwhahahaha! Great success!_

"Oh my gosh! Peyton! How silly of me, I almost totally forgot about you and Jake!" I exclaim, trying to sound as perky as possible, although I'd rather be hanging out with Rachel than talking about anything having to do with love and happiness right now. _Yeah…it's that bad._

Peyton's face flushes before the smile she's been attempting to suppress is beaming at 100 watts. "Yeah, I'm really happy. I know it seems sudden and out of the blue but –"

"Yeah right Sawyer, everyone and their dog knew you and Jake were totally vibe-ing each other!" I say with a smile, truly happy for my two friends, even if my story didn't end so 'happily ever after'.

"Yeah P.Sawyer it's so obvious. Just like Naley." Brooke says innocently as I smack my palm to my head. _So close; so freaking close to getting away with it. Leave it to Brooke._

Peyton shakes her head as if she just woke up from a dream and smiles at me.

"What?" I ask, eyeing her suspiciously, stealing the bag of chocolately goodness back from her and spitefully throwing a handful in my mouth.

"You thought you got away with it, didn't you?" She asks, a smirk that Nathan would be proud of on her face.

_And there it goes, wave to it kids. ::waves:: What are we waving at you ask? Well, my mood of course. Cause it has once again dropped from 'sad but still functional' to 'only a boy could make me feel this way'. All because I said, or thought, the name Nathan. How utterly sad am I?_

I slump back against the pillow, a pout resurfacing on my lips.

"Yes."

Peyton smiles at me sympathetically and gently slaps my thigh. "Well you didn't. So get to talking, what happened?"

I sigh and roll my eyes once more at the girls before delving into my heart wrenching story of, as Brooke would say, the Naley blowout. After fifteen minutes, and three tissue breaks, I finished my story with a sigh, looking at the girls, waiting for them to fawn over me and baby me. But instead, Brooke slaps me across the back of the head.

"Ow! Damnit Brooke!" I exclaim, rubbing at my head.

"Davis! You are all aboard the abuse train tonight! What's the deal?" Peyton asks, eyeing her.

"Hello? Weren't you listening to the story?!?" She shouts, pointing her finger at me for emphasis. Peyton responds by simply nodding her head in confusion so Brooke continues.

"Okay, well did you notice that Haley never actually let Nathan explain or answer? I mean I know you were upset Tutor Girl, and believe me, I, more than anyone, understand the frustrations of loving a Scott, but you can't blame the guy for something that you never actually let him do." Brooke says to me, placing a kiss to the bump on the back of my head as a sign of apology.

I look at Peyton, expecting, praying that she's replaying the story over and has certainly found something to help my case, but instead, she looks at me, shakes her head sympathetically, and shrugs.

"She's right James. Not once during that whole, blowout confessional thing did you ever once give Nathan any proper time to explain or say anything."

_Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa…stop the bus, hold the phone, wait a gosh darn minute; whatever you'd like to stop, hold, or wait, DO IT, cause I have something to say._

_This is SO unfair! The girls are supposed to take MY side. MINE, not his, MINE::Crosses arms:: I need new friends! Ahem…continue._

"You guys! This is not my fault! Believe me, this is not how I planned on spending my evening!" I say with a pout, arms splayed out.

"Haley I'm not saying it's your fault…entirely. But you are so upset with Nathan because he didn't explain why he kissed you when you gave him like a ten second time interval to do it in." Peyton explains.

"Yeah, but-" I start, but Brooke cuts me off.

"And before that, when you told Nathan you loved him, you didn't even give him a chance to respond before you took off. Both times you said it, and both times you walked away."

"Okay, maybe so, but –"

"But what Haley?" Peyton interjects, interrupting me for the eighteenth million time.

"How do you know he didn't mean to kiss you? How do you know he doesn't love you?"

_You know what I hate? Being interrupted. You know what I hate even more than being interrupted? Being interrupted by a person who is right. And worse than that, I hate having to admit to the rude interrupter that they are, in fact, right._

I sigh, leaning my back against the headboard, allowing my head to slowly roll back. "Okay, so…maybe you're right. Maybe I did freak out and leave before letting Nathan explain. But now that I think about it, I did it on purpose."

Brooke cocks her head to the side. "Uh…confuse me?"

I let out a small laugh before continuing. "I mean, I think it was like, a defense mechanism. Like, I made myself feel better by telling Nathan but I didn't hurt myself by waiting around to hear him reject me."

I look at Peyton who's rolling her eyes and shaking her head so much, I'm afraid she might get motion sickness.

"What goldilocks?" I ask, raising my eyebrow impatiently.

"I think that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say Haley James." She states simply, popping a few kernels of popcorn into her mouth.

"Excuse me?" I scoff. She's apparently been hanging out with Luke too much, she's adapting his, 'holier than thou' crap.

She smiles at me before explaining, letting me know she didn't mean in the way it sounded. "I'm not talking about the defense mechanism thing; that makes perfect sense. I'm talking about you thinking he would reject you. Have you not seen the way he looks at you Haley? The way his eyes light up when you're near him?"

I wave my hand at her, passing off her idea dismissively. "Peyt, that's how Nathan is with all of us."

She shakes her head and turns to Brooke. "Okay. B. Davis, how many times has Nathan held your hand while walking to class with you? Or kissed you on the forehead? Or spent the night at your house?"

Brooke's eyebrows furrow together and she looks at Peyton with sheer disgust and confusion. "Um…none but that would be a creepy threesome considering I'm dating his brother!?!"

Our mouths drop open, amazed at the fact that Brooke completely missed the point.

"Okay," Peyton says, shaking her head in disbelief. "Not quite what I was going for, but you get the point H. James. He's only like that with you."

"Yeah," I say, throwing my arms in the air in frustration. "Yeah I get your point. So Nathan is more touchy feely with me than he is with you guys. So what? I mean, you and Jake are the same way!"

"Exactly." Peyton says just as Brooke says, "And you see how that worked out?"

"Yeah but…so…ugh!" I stammer out.

Brooke looks at me before playfully rolling her eyes to Peyton. "Well now that she's got THAT out in the open."

I stick my tongue out at her, in my continual fight to ignore the fact that they're right.

"Haley…he loves you." Peyton says quietly.

I shoot her a look, one that, in my expert opinion, might just be deadly. "Shut up."

"He loves you honey." Brooke says gently next to me.

"Shut up!" I say a little louder, tears forming in my eyes.

"HALEY! NATHAN SCOTT LOVES YOU!" Peyton shouts, causing Brooke to giggle in delight, I however, do not respond in a similar calm manner.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" I scream; hot, angry tears running down my face. I cover my ears with my hands, although it proves to no avail when Brooke brings them down gently to my side, holding them as Peyton scoots closer to me.

"Haley, why does that bother you? Isn't it what you wanted?" Peyton asks, her voice laced in feigned confusion as she guides my eyes to meet hers.

"Yes but, this isn't HOW I wanted it!" I say, my voice a little softer, muffled by my tears.

Neither of the girls speak, so I continue.

"I didn't want Nathan to find out like this, and I DEFINITELY didn't want to find out his side like this."

"Like what?" Brooke asks, almost timidly, as if she was afraid I'd go off.

"Having it thrown in my face after I made the horrible mistake of blaming him for all of this. Not by you guys, I know I did this to myself. I just…I just threw all of that at him and expected him to immediately make it better. I can't believe I did that to him. He probably hates me."

Peyton chuckles softly as I lean my head on Brooke's shoulder. "Haley, in case you missed it earlier, Nathan loves you, and believe it or not, he's not angry and we all know he could never hate you. He thinks he screwed up, he thinks YOU hate HIM. All you have to do is explain to him."

I smile at Peyton, thankful to have such good friends.

"Yeah, just make sure you let him get a word or two, or ya know, a certain three, in." Brooke says with a wink, causing us all to laugh.

I sigh, feeling a sense of content wash over me for the first time in what seems forever.

"Thanks you guys. I couldn't ask for better friends!" I say, looping an arm around both of their necks and bringing their heads next to mine.

"Well duh!" Brooke giggles, and smiles at me mischievously.

"Uh oh. What's that look for Davis?" I ask, knowing that a smirk on that girl's face is never a good thing.

She shrugs, the smirk still firmly planted on her face. "Nothing, I was just thinking how cute it'll be when you and Nathan FINALLY profess your undying love to each other tomorrow after we win the tournament! It'll be absolutely monumental!"

Peyton and I, once again, look at each other with jaws dropped. Brooke cocks her head to the side, looking confusedly between the two of us.

"What? You forgot about the tournament?"

Peyton shakes her head with a smirk. "No I…I just didn't know you knew big words like monumental." She sticks her tongue out at Brooke who swings a pillow directly into her face.

_And that's how my 'oh so horrible, no good, sucky, very bad day' ended. Although I'm not fully prepared to face Nathan or our situation tomorrow, I do feel freer with my secret being out in the open. Even if things don't go the way Brooke proposed they would, at least I'll know. Now, what to do for the next 9 hours to keep myself preoccupied? _

_**PILLOW FIGHT!!!**_

**_Wow…okay so that chapter was long! I know there was no Naley and that's weird for this story but I felt we need some girl chat time. And I know everyone will be expecting Naley next chapter, but I think I'm going to do Nathan's POV of how his night went, possibly the game…not sure yet! But anywho! Hope you liked the chapter, even though it's really long! Leave comments please. XOXO_**

_**I love my Fatima and Sweet Baby James! They makes me smile like it's goin outta style! **_


	15. I Can't Sleep, I'm Thinking Way Too Loud

_**Hey ladies and gents, even though fanfic is pretty much being a 'tard, I went every day to check reviews and I just want to say thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys rock my pink polka-dotted socks! Anywho…as per usual this chapter is for ::Drum roll:: that's right, my Dreama' Fatima and my Sweet Baby James! Oh how I heart them and their silliness! Anyways on with the chapter…it's all Nathan, well, at least that's what I'm planning on, enjoy!**_

_Nathan's POV_

_So because I've been friends with Haley so long, unfortunately some of her crappy music has leaked through and I actually know some of it. Anyways, you know that song "Collide", by Howie Day? You know how it says, "I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind"? _

That's exactly how I feel. It scares the hell out of me to know that Haley thinks about me, worries about me…**loves** me. Not because I don't feel the same way, I think you've realized by now that I love that girl to the moon and back. It scares me because I don't think I deserve her. Haley's so, dare I say, perfect. She's sweet, smart, kind, caring, beautiful, and talented. And I'm just, Nathan, basketball player; I'm not special enough to be loved like that, especially by Haley.

_Although apparently, there's no point in dwelling on that fact seeing as how she does in fact, God knows why, love me. I'm such an idiot. Seriously, I feel almost as dumb as Tim…and well, you know Tim._

I left the club, making sure to drive the back way in order to avoid running into the girls. It's not that I didn't want to see Haley, I just knew at the time, it wouldn't be fair to her. I had done my fair share of screwing things up as it was. So I got in the car, and somehow, ended up at the docks where Haley and I used to meet before walking to school together; a tradition we started back when we were still in elementary school. I got out of my Yukon, sat at our table and just stared out into the water thinking; How did things get so messed up?

_Oh, haha, wait. I know the answer to this one. It's messed up because my best friend, who I happen to be in love with, told me she loves me and I totally choked.  
Give me a P-give me an A-give me an N-give me a S-give me a Y, what's that spell?_

_  
Nathan._

**The bridges are crumbled**

**The water soaks into rocks**

**That fell at the bottom of the road.**

Luke's ringtone shakes me from my trance as I hastily fish my phone from my pocket.

"Yeah?" I ask deadpanned, eyes fixated on the still water before me.

"Hey little brother, where are you man?" Lucas asks, and I can already tell he's gone into 'Hero Luke' mode where he thinks he can fix everything.

"At the docks." I state shortly, not really in the mood to talk to anyone, except maybe Haley.

"Look Nate, I know you're upset but your mom has called here three times looking for you and we have the tournament in the morning, we need you."

I sigh as I tear my eyes away from the water and down to my watch that shows me that it's nearly a quarter to two. Damn.

"Okay Lucas, first of all, don't call me Nate. Second of all, you have NO idea how upset I am or what I'm going through right now, so you can cut the super hero crap. And I know we have the tournament tomorrow and I'll call my mom. Did I miss anything?" I snap out.

"Nathan, listen, I know –"

"Lucas, do NOT finish that sentence." I warn, cutting him off.

"Alright , alright…Just come over here when you're ready to crash, k? I'll call Deb and let her know." He says, retreating.

"Yeah, I'll be there later." I say as I hang up. I let out another ragged breath, raking my shaky hands through my hair as I stand.

Once I reach Luke's, I sneak around to the side door as to not wake Karen and Keith. Lucas is already sleeping in his bed, a sleeping bag laid out on the floor for me. I toss off my shirt and kick off my shoes and lay down, arms behind my head. And I feel…empty. Like a part of me is missing. Like, there's this ache in my heart where Haley used to be, even though I didn't know it was there until now.

I turn to my side and shut my eyes, sighing in frustration when sleep doesn't come. Normally, on nights before a game, especially tournaments, I zone in and focus on basketball. Replaying drills, plays in my head until I'm too tired to think. But tonight, the only thing that consumes my thoughts, is that beautiful, honey-eyed blonde that's always cheering on the sidelines.

I toss again, the sleeping bag shuffling beneath me.

"Nathan." Lucas groans.

"Sorry." I mutter.

Lucas sits up on his elbows, looks down at me on the floor with sleepy eyes, and shakes his head.

"Lucas." I warn, knowing he's just itching to reprimand and lecture me.

"Nathan…what kind of big brother would I be if I just laid here while you toss and turn all night because you have a problem. I mean, it's not like I can sleep 'cause you're thinking so loud, but still." He says, a smirk planted on his face.

_Hey! I thought I was the only Scott with a signature smirk!_

I turn to my side, propping my head up with my hand, and glare at him.

"First of all, you're only three months older than me, but nice try. Second of all, I don't need your advice, and thirdly…shut up."

"Nathan, man…I know you aren't one to talk about your feelings, but…you can't keep this to yourself. What happened tonight, it's…it was big and you need to sort it out so you and Haley can be together and stop B.S-ing each other. You both know you're meant to be!" He exclaims, waving his hands about for added emphasis.

"You know you've been around Brooke waaay too long; you're starting to talk like her."

He rolls his eyes at me. "Whatever man, you know what I said makes sense."

"Yeah! "Yeah you're right, I do. But…what does that matter Lucas? Me admitting that I was an ass isn't going to rewind us back to earlier and make things better now is it?" I ask, plopping my head back down onto the pillow with an agitated groan.

"No, but it'll help fix things in the future."

"Lucas…shut up." I say, turning my back to him, once again closing my eyes in hope that sleep will come.

The room grows quiet, and I think I've won. I finally got the last word in with Lucas.

"Do you love her?" he asks quietly, but loud enough so that I can clearly understand him.

_Damnit. I should've known…I mean, it's Lucas Scott. The only person who gets the last word with him is Brooke, and to be quite honest, I don't have the talent to make him shut up the way she does, that takes skill. Brooke Davis skill….ew, that is never a good talent for a guy to have over another guy. Especially his brother. AHH!! Must…stab…brain…_

"Nate?"

"What?" I snap out, shaking myself from my oh-so disturbing thoughts.

"Do you love her?" he asks again.

"Lucas don't-"

"Damnit Nathan! Just answer the question!" Lucas sighs while sitting up.

I roll my eyes in the darkness, wanting to deny it, to make the feelings go away, but it proves to no avail. It seems that they only grow stronger by the minute.

"Have you ever seen me act like this about any other girl?" I ask, making sure he catches the edge in my voice to let him know this is not a conversation I want to be having with him.

"No." he simply states, looking at me through the night.

"Well then," I say, turning to face him. "I guess you have your answer."

"So, what are you going to do about it?" He asks, pressing me even though he knows I don't want to talk.

"I don't know Lucas, okay?!? I don't know WHAT to do. I've never done this before because I've never loved anyone before. Not like this, not like I love Hales. I just…I screwed up, ya know? She told me she loved me and I just stood there, didn't say anything. And to top it all off…I kissed her! I mean-"

_Haha. I know, I know…this is probably the most inappropriate time to be laughing, but you should have seen Luke's face! His eyes are about the size of saucers. Haha…ahem…anyways, back to my rant._

"Wait, wait, wait. You, you kissed her?" he chuckles. "Damn Nate, you really are an ass."

I send him a glare Brooke Davis would be proud of before continuing.

"ANYWAYS. I didn't even tell her how I felt, not that she gave me time to, but still. I completely screwed up Luke. Haley might, no SHE IS, the girl for me, the one for me, and I completely screwed up." I finish with a ragged breath.

"Feel better?" He asks with a small smirk, knowing he got what he wanted in the end.

"No." I state indignantly. "I just feel like a less gayer version of you."

"Hardy har. Look man, I know you get sick of me lecturing you-"

"Damn Straight." I mutter under my breath causing him to roll his eyes.

"BUT…you need to talk to Haley. Even if she won't talk to you, you need to tell her how you feel. What happens from there is up to her." He says, a sympathetic smile on his face.

I run my hands over my face, wishing for the hundredth time this would all just go away.

"What if she doesn't love me anymore?" I ask in a small voice.

"Nathan, do you really thing her love for you changed over night?"

"What if she changed her mind?" I ask, my voice weaker, smaller than I had ever heard it.

Lucas sighed. "Then you tried." He says looking at me. "But she loves you Nathan, you just have to have faith in that."

I nod silently, turning over to face the wall. I close my eyes, Haley's face consuming my mind as I allow myself to drift off to a short, restless sleep.

_**Okay, so there it is you guys. Hope you enjoyed! That chapter was mucho difficult to write. How the heck am I supposed to know what goes on in the mind of the frustrating yet, oh-so gorgeous Nathan Scott? Haha it's a good thing I'm the one writing his thoughts! Anyways…reviewing is my anti-drug…you should try it too!**_


	16. PreGame Rituals

**_So I'm in like a, writing frenzy or something cause I just finished the last chapter and here I am with the next one! I'm addicted…or bored. Yeah, it could definitely be boredom. Teehee anyways as always this goes out to my girl Fatima and my, I mean our so lovely James. Those two make my eyes smile! Haha This is going to be told in Haley's, Nathan's and a general POV…you lucky readers you!_**

_Haley's POV_

_So here I sit on the bus…Brooke's eyes burning a hole into me. Why you may ask? Because, the only thing Brooke hates more than Rachel is a pep-less cheerleader. And that's exactly what I'm being, a cheerless cheerleader. _

Although last night, the girls made me see the error of my ways and made me feel better, that doesn't mean that I'm ready to face Nathan. In fact, I'm for sure not ready. Seriously, what am I going to say to him?

_Haley: 'Hey Nate remember how I told you last night I loved you and then broke down like a hysterical girl?'_

_Nathan: 'yeah'_

_Haley: haha well, funny thing is; I was just kidding! You just got punked!_

_Nathan: haha that's great Hales!_

Some how, I'm thinking it won't play out like that. I'm pulled from my thoughts as the bus comes to a halt, Whitey steps onto our bus.

"Okay ladies, you know the drill. Off the bus, in the locker rooms until told other wise." He barks out, trying to sound stern even though we all know Whitey's a big softie.

I groan, throwing my head back in despair as I stand with my cheer bag on my shoulder. Brooke shoots me another look, so I beam out the most convincing smile, letting out a breath when she seems satisfied with my peppiness. Peyton drapes her arm across my shoulder and walks with me to the door.

"Nice try kid, Brooke may be blinded by game day spirit, but I'm not buying that smile." She says to me, giving me her 'I know you better than that' look.

I sigh, dropping my head onto her shoulder as we walk through the halls of our opposing team.

"I just, I don't know if I can do it."

She lets out a small laugh before looking down at me.

_Wait…why is she laughing…I said nothing funny. Now if I had said 'Brooke can take her peppiness and shove up her ass' that would have been funny, comical even. But my last statement held no resemblance to humor._

"How is that funny Sawyer?" I ask, raising my head to meet her gaze.

"Haley, you'll get on a stage and sing, tell your best friend you love him, kiss him, beat him up, and walk away…but you don't know if you can face him?" She asks, trying to put into perspective what I already know.

"Exactly, it's not the telling him that scares me, it's his reaction to it. I just don't know if I can handle seeing him knowing that things aren't the same anymore."

Peyton turns me to face her fully, waiting to speak until she's sure she has my full attention.

"Haley Lynn James, I want you to listen to me because I'm only going to say this once. You and Nathan are meant to be, and we have all known that you guys were in love since the time he kissed you in seventh grade, now-"

"Peyton that doesn't count, we were playing spin the bottle, and he kissed me on the cheek." I say with a roll of my eyes.

She sends me a detonating glare before continuing.

_Peyton's going to make a great mom someday, she's serious enough to scare anyone into submission._

"I don't want to hear you say one more negative thing about this whole ordeal because if you and Nathan would shut up for fifteen seconds and stop being pansies, you would both realize that you love each other and you're being silly. Now, you're going to go into that gym, cheer, watch the boys win, and then talk to Nathan after the game. Do you understand me?"

I stand there wide-eyed, silently nodding my head in agreement, too scared to breathe a word.

She smiles at me, once again draping her arm across my shoulders.

"Good, now; Let's Go Ravens!" She says, wiggling her fingers in a spirit fingers movement.

"What are you girlies talking about?" Brooke asks as she comes up to link arms with Peyton.

"Oh nothing, I was just getting Haley pumped up about the game. Right Haley?" Peyton asks me.

"Uh, yeah…go Ravens!" I say, not very convincingly, but it apparently worked for Brooke who giggles and then begins to chat away about something cute Lucas did.

_Nathan's POV_

"Alright Gentleman. We've had a flawless season so far, and I'll be damned if that all goes down the drain tonight. So, get your head in the game, block everything else out, nothing else matters…"

I sit here in the locker room, pretending to be focusing on Whitey's words, even though all I can think about is Haley. I haven't seen her since last night, and to be honest, I'm kind of scared to.

"Scott! NATHAN SCOTT!" I'm thrown from my thoughts by coaches booming voice, only to look up and see he's standing right in front of me; and we're the only two in the locker room.

_Where'd everyone else go?!?_

"While you were off in la-la land, your teammates and I were wondering if you'd like to join us out on the court?" He ask, a sarcastic smirk playing on his face.

"Sorry Coach." I mumble, attempting to step past him and get out onto the court.

"I don't want to hear excuses Nathan, I just want to know if your head is in the game?"

I look at him, knowing that my head is anywhere but the afore mentioned basketball game.

I nod. "Yeah coach, where else would it be?"

He eyes me before nodding in agreement.

"Well get out there then."

I run out on the court, attempting to draw my eyes from the sideline where I know Haley will be. Unfortunately, my eyes seem to take on a mind of their own and gaze over at the sideline, where, to my surprise, there is no Haley. My eyes wander through the gym, until they land on her, and it's like all the air has gone out of me.

Haley looks no different than she ever does at every other game. Her petite curves being hugged by her complimenting uniform, her honey colored eyes being brought out by her light hair that's down in loose, wavy curls. She's got a light amount of make up on…just enough to make her face seem to glow. She's simple, understated; gorgeous beyond belief.

She turns from Brooke, a playful smile grazing her lips as her eyes meet mine and then, just like that, the playful, beautiful smile falls into a sad, scared one. I try to smile back, but it feels more like I'm grimacing.

_Think, Nathan, think! Do something._

I mouth 'I'm sorry' to her, which receives a slightly happier smile and a nod, before her attention is pulled away by Rachel, who sends me a wink.

_It's going to be a long night…_

_Haley's POV_

_Okay, so…he said he's sorry. Well, he mouthed it, but still. What does that mean? He's sorry he upset me? Sorry he broke my heart? Or sorry because he doesn't love me? _

I almost work up the courage to go ask him, when out of no where, a crazed maniac whore comes and grabs my arm. Oh wait…teehee…that's just Rachel.

"What Rachel?" I snap out, turning to face the last person I ever want to see.

She makes a cat motion with her hand while hissing, her way of telling me to retract the claws.

"Brooke's ready to line up and she was freaking cause you weren't here, so being the sweet person I am, I volunteered to come get you."

"Ha. Why, to be nice? Or so you could sneak a peek at Nathan?" I ask bitterly, tossing my eyes in Nathan's direction.

"Well it didn't hurt that I got to check him out. He's totally hot." Rachel says with a smirk, the kind that makes me want to wipe the floor with her face.

"Shut up." I say through gritted teeth, before spinning on my heels to get in formation.

"You okay Tutor Girl?" Brooke asks, a dimply smile on her face as her eyes scan the crowd, her pom-poms never stopping from their constant motion.

"Yep." I say, plastering the same cheer smile on my face. "I'm just peachy keen."

_Nathan's POV_

_So my playing tonight is like the latest American Idol auditions – sucky. Seriously, I'm playing like I've never held a basketball before. Missed shots, turn overs, even a few double dribbles and traveling. I wish I could blame this suck fest on someone else, make everyone else think there's a reason for it._

_AH HA! It's Haley's fault._

Okay, so…before every game, Haley and I have this little tradition. When there's thirty seconds before the game starts, she comes up, kisses my cheek and tells me 'Good luck, I'm proud of you no matter what'. Every game, without fail. Even when she had laryngitis and couldn't talk, she wrote it on a piece of paper. And maybe it's a psychological thing, but it always seemed to make me play better. Not to prove myself, just to make her proud.

So now, there's a minute and a half left in the first half and we're getting beat like we stole something. And we're playing Pickerington! They're only in the freaking tournament because the district felt bad for them!

5…4…3…2…1 and that's the end of the first half of the worst game I've ever played in my life.

We barely make it into the locker room before Coach loses it.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE?!? Scott! You might as well be playing for the girls volleyball team, you're no good to us here!" He yells, slamming his fist down on the bench in frustration.

"I…I know coach I'm sorry. I just, my head wasn't in it." I stumble out, avoiding the eyes of my disappointed teammates and upset coach.

"Well what the hell is it going to take to get your head in it? Because I refused to lose to the damn Pickerington Hicks!"

I look up at the coach, tempted to be amused by the steam I swear I see coming out of his ears, but I have to stay focused.

"Haley." I whisper to myself. Knowing what it'll take for me to be completely focused on my game.

"WHAT? I can't seem to hear you over the roar of the crowd booing." He says.

I stand to my feet, squaring my eyes to meet his.

"I know what it's going to take to get my head in the game coach, but I can't do it here."

"Planning a quick trip to the Bahamas?" He quips.

_Okay seriously, I love Whitey…but he's worse than Peyton with the whole 'moody smart ass' bit_

"No, I just, I need to go out to the hallway." I say with a roll of my eyes, persistence in my voice.

He looks at me for a moment, pondering if I can be trusted or not.

"Fine." He barks out. "But you be on that court a minute before."

I nod, "Yes sir." And then I sprint out into the hallway, only to be stopped by a small figure.

_Haley's POV_

_So, because I've known the guys for so long, I've been to quite a few basketball games. And out of all these basketball games, I have seen quite a few sucky basketball players who would seriously be better off with underwater basket weaving. Anything but basketball. I would never have thought that one of these days, I'd have to add Nathan's name to that list. But man…he totally sucks tonight._

"S-U-C-K. What's that spell? Ravens." Rachel mutters next to Brooke who shoots her a look.

"Listen Rachel, I know that's about the only word you know how to spell, but could you try to keep the pep up and the bitch down? Thanks."

Rachel rolls her eyes before leaning back to get my attention. I toss my hair, continuing with my cheering before I realize that she's not stopping.

I lean back. "What?"

"I decided you can have Nathan, he may be hot, but he sucks. I think I'll stick with the better half of the Scott clan." She says, smiling sweetly before once again catching the wrath of Brooke.

"Hey Rachel." Peyton says, stepping in. "Why don't you switch spots with Bevin?"

"Why?" she asks, rolling her eyes in defiance.

"Do you know what it's like to have your own foot up your ass?" Peyton asks.

"No." Rachel snaps out.

"Do you want to find out?" Brooke growls out.

So Rachel moved back, far, far away from my sight.

_Okay so ya know, she's two rows behind me, but hey, I'll take what I can get!_

"So I will deny this if it EVER gets out, but I have to agree with Rachel. Your boy is sucking it up tonight!" Brooke says.

"Okay, first of all, he's not my boy. And second of all…yeah…he does suck tonight."

"Gee, I couldn't imagine why." Peyton says sarcastically as the boys run off the court for half time.

I'm about to retort to Peyton when Brooke stops, eyes wide, facing me.

"What?!?" I ask, completely lost as to what the problem is.

"Haley…did you do the pre-game ritual?!?" she asks.

_Oh…my…gawd. I suck at life! How could I forget about that?!? Oh..haha, simple. I was simply more preoccupied with my confession of unrequited love for my best friend!_

"No." I say, no louder than a whisper.

"HALEY!" both of the girls whine at me as we get in formation for the half time show.

_So here it is, the moment where I can either:_

_Completely piss off Brooke by not doing the routine and going to find Nathan._

_Or_

_Watch Nathan get beat like he stole something and sit by as the whole school terrorizes him for it._

"Brooke, I got to go find him." I say, tossing my pom-poms to Bevin, who's asking Rachael to remind her which way is left.

"Haley! What about half time?!?" she whines again, but is pulled back by Peyton who winks at me and ushers me to go.

"HALEY!" she shouts, but is silenced by Peyton who tells her to choose her battles.

I run off the court, ignoring the confused looks of the audience, and dash towards the locker rooms. I know I can't go in, so I decided to wait next to the door until they come out.

I giggle a little as I hear Whitey going at the boys and then, there's silence. Just as I'm about to lean towards the door to hear better; it swings open and I'm met with a startled pair of cobalt blue eyes.

_**OHHH!!! Haha cliffhangers aren't usually my thing…but this is the most appropriate place to end this chapter! Anyways, hope you kiddos enjoyed this chapter! Review like it's going outta style! XOXO**_


	17. Beautiful Disaster

_**Hello my lovelies! So I know I'm a horrible person for that cliffhanger, but ya know…gotta keep you guys on your toes, don't want the story to get boring for ya! Haha anyways, I'll stop teasing I promise! So, last chapter I said it would be told in a general POV and obviously it wasn't…so that's what this chapter is. I hope you guys like it…I haven't started on it yet but I'm excited! As always, it's for Fatima and Sweet Baby James…I love them like a fat kid loves cake…it's true. Anywho…here ya go!**_

Startled blue eyes mirror surprised brown ones, as Nathan and Haley stand there, silence deafening them.

"Hi." They both breathe out at the same time, causing both to let out a nervous laugh.

"So…" Haley starts, glancing down the hallway as her squad begins the performance.

"So…" Nathan replies, shuffling his feet like a nervous kindergartener.

"You really suck tonight." She says, causing a confused chuckle to escape his lips as he risks a small glimpse back at her.

"Um, ha, yeah, thanks."

She lets out a small laugh, letting him know she's kidding. "I mean, 12 points, 6 turnovers, traveling? That's not Nathan Scott I know."

"Yeah, my head's just not in it I guess." He replies, eyes examining everything but her.

"Why not?" She asks innocently, glancing up at his strong face, taking in his worried expression.

He shrugs, unsure of what to say to her. He raises his confused clouded gaze slowly from the floor, readying himself for whatever he may find in hers. Their eyes meet, and immediately his soften and he wants nothing more than to take her in his arms, whisper endless apologies into her hair, and tell her he loves her. She's the first to tear her gaze away, causing Nathan to wince at the pain he sees in her eyes.

"So uh…" he starts, trying to find a safe topic to bring up. "Shouldn't you be out there performing?" he asks, gesturing to the court where the squad just went into their second round of cheers.

She smiles slowly, looking up at him. "My head wasn't really in it."

Nathan only smiles in response, although she sees the confusion in his eyes deepen.

_Okay, _she thinks._ When did I all of a sudden become miss coy? I came back here to wish him luck, not confuse him more. Quit teasing him Haley and get it over with._

She shakes her head as if to snap back to reality and takes a step closer to Nathan.

"Look Nate, I just came back here to tell you-" she starts, eyes once again downcast.

"Yeah?" he asks, his eyes eager, willing hers to meet his.

"I just…I realized that I didn't do our pre-game ritual and I felt bad. And I know it's silly, but I felt kind of guilty about the way you were playing so I thought I'd come back here to tell you good luck and hope that it works for the second half." She rushes out, glimpsing at him for his reaction.

"Oh…yeah. Anything at this point could help I guess." He says with a disappointed laugh.

"Yeah, I guess. So um…good luck, I'm proud of you no matter what." She says, barely loud enough for him to hear as she places a small hand on his broad shoulder, leaving a whisper of a kiss on his cheek.

He takes a deep breath, unable to ignore the chill he feels from her soft, small lips against his face. She pulls away, daring to look in his eyes if only for a second before taking a step back.

"Thanks." He says, his smile not reaching his eyes.

"Yeah so…I'm gonna…" she trails off, pointing to the court that she's slowly walking back towards.

He nods, every bone in his body urging him to stop her, but not knowing how.

She gives him a little wave before turning back to the exit. He stands there watching her walk away, knowing that a simple kiss on the cheek is not going to make him focus on the game.

"Haley." He yells down the narrow hallway, causing her to stop, but not turn around.

"Yeah?" she asks, trying to hide the pain in her voice as tears well up in her eyes. Her body stiffens as she hears his footsteps approaching her, hesitant at first.

"Hales," he breathes out, placing a shaky hand on her shoulder, gently forcing her to turn around. "Haley you can't just walk away like that."

She nods her head slowly, eyes never leaving the scuff at the top of her cheer shoes.

"I'm sorry Nathan, I just…I just wanted to tell you good luck, I didn't mean to start this whole thing up again." She whispers out, her voice cracking as she forces back her tears.

He shakes his head in confusion, removing his hand from her shoulder to bring it beneath her chin and raise her gaze to meet his.

"Start what back up again?" he asks, eyes searching for something, anything in hers.

She shrugs, as a few rebellious tears spill onto her cheeks. "This. This whole, awkward thing with us. I didn't want it to be like this Nate; we were never supposed to be like this, and it's my fault."

"Hey, hey, hey!" he says, wiping away her tears gently with the pad of his thumb, secretly enjoying the feel of her shivering under his touch. "This is not your fault Hales. You didn't do anything wrong, if anything I messed up."

She shakes her head. "No, if I had just kept it to myself none of this would've happened. Our friendship is forever changed because I'm a girl who can't control her emotions properly."

"I don't know any girls who can control their emotions; properly or otherwise." He says with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. She grins quickly, but her eyes continue to pool with tears.

"And you're right…our friendship is going to be different..." At these words, a soft sob escapes her lips, which she attempts to suppress with the back of her hand.

"But that's not necessarily a bad thing." He finishes, causing her to raise her confused, flooded eyes to meet his hopeful ones.

"Nathan-" she starts, but he simply shakes his head, cursing himself silently when he realizes that he has to be out on the court in thirty seconds.

"Look Hales, last night, you told me you loved me. And I'm not going to lie, it scared the hell out of me and being the dumbass I am, I didn't handle that situation in the best way." He says as she lets out a small laugh, looking at him to continue.

"And I know I screwed up last night, but…" he looks at the clock, fifteen seconds. He inhales deeply, preparing himself for what he's about to say.

"I love you Hales; always have. I was just, too blind to see it. Or maybe I didn't want to see it because it scares me to know how much I need you and want you all the time. Point is, I love you Haley and even though I don't have time to talk about us right because as it is, Whitey hates me, I needed you to know and I want to know if you're going to still feel the same way when the game is over." He rushed out in one breath, glancing back up at the clock, nine seconds, _Good Job Scott._

Haley stared up at Nathan, eyes wide in surprise, sad tears quickly being replaced by overjoyed ones. She feels her mouth pull up at the corners and doesn't even try to fight the smile breaking through.

She nods her head slowly, adoring the relieved smile set in Nathan's handsome features. She leans up to once again whisper in his ear;

"Only if you show these Pickerington Hicks who the real Nathan Scott is." She says with a smirk, causing him to let out a small, genuine laugh as he leans his mouth down to her ear, placing a sweet kiss on her cheek.

"You betcha." And with that he takes off down the hallway, glancing back to send her a wink, brightening her already beaming smile.

_**Okay so…what did you think?!? I really hope you guys liked it. I know it's short, but the whole general POV thing was really hard for me because I'm so used to writing in their individual perspectives. The next chapter will be up soon! Love you guys! **_

_**Fatima: Can't nobody hold you down! Love ya girly. Take care of my boy!**_

_**XOXO…do the damn thing and leave me some love!**_


	18. I Knew I Loved You Before I Met You

_**Yes, I know…I should be told to go Brooke myself for taking so long to update, I sincerely apologize. I went through a phase where I wasn't in the writing mood and I didn't want to give you guys a crappy chapter so I waited. On a happier (and hotter) note, did anyone see my Sweet Baby James 'dancing' last week…I love that boy, but I am officially revoking his dancing rights. This one goes out to my baby with two left feet and my sweet Fatima whom I miss dearly! Hope you guys enjoy!**_

_Haley's POV_

_Okay, so cue the angels, cause baby, I'm in heaven! That's right, you heard it…Nathan Scott, Mr.All American Tree Hill himself, loves…ME! Bam Sucka! teehee_

I walk back over to the squad lined up on the side lines, and wedge myself between Brooke and Peyton.

"Mission accomplished Jinx Girl?" Brooke asks, smirking a little at the clever nick name she just thought up.

I grin. "Mission definitely accomplished."

Peyton turns to me, brow raised, excitement sparkling in her eyes.

"Haley, what happened?"

"Why, whatever do you mean Peyton?" I ask, feigning innocence.

"Well for one, Love Struck Girl, you're smiling like it's going out of style!" Brooke exclaims, nudging me.

"Haley…?" Peyton starts again.

"He told me." I whisper quietly, knowing neither can hear me over the roar of the crowd. _MWHAHAHA…love to watch 'em squirm._

"What?" Peyton and Brooke ask simultaneously, leaning in closer towards me.

"Nathan, he told me." I say, my smile growing by the second as I watch Nathan stand in the center, preparing for tip off. As soon as the words leave my lips, the girls both let out a loud squeal, causing the rest of the squad members to turn their heads in curiosity.

"OH MY- So you guys are like, together now?" Brooke asks, eyes wide with excitement.

"Well not technically, he said we'd talk after the game but he told me he loved me!" I exclaim, not able to contain the smile that is taking over my face. I look between both the girls, letting out another squeal before returning my eyes to the court, where the Ravens have already made up for ten points.

Pickerington calls a time out, no doubt confused as to why they're all of a sudden struggling, and I can't keep my eyes from wandering to where our boys are huddled. I zone out on the mass of boys, until a second pair of eyes are focused intently on mine. I shake my head from my daze, allowing myself to acknowledge the blue eyes waiting to meet mine. I wrinkle my nose in a smile as Nathan backs onto the court while mouthing 'I love you' I simply wink in response, overwhelmed by the surge of happiness rushing through me.

"AWWWWWW" Brooke whines out, hip checking me in the process. "You guys are SO cute! I would kill to have someone look at me like that!"

Peyton and I share a glance before turning to Brooke who's attention has already been captured by something else.

"Davis, you have Lucas to that looks at you like that." Peyton points out, gesturing in Lucas direction.

"Yeah but…SO not the point!" she exclaims. I let out a giggle in response as I turn my attention back to the court, noticing there's only a few more minutes left in the game.

"I don't know what you gave that boy, but he's on fire H.James!" Peyton says as Nathan comes down from yet another dunk. I simply smile proudly in response, catching his eye as he comes back down the court.

"My heart." I whisper out, smiling at him as the team counts down the seconds to their victory.

"And that's the game folks. The Tree Hill Ravens have once again defeated the Pickerington Hicks-er, I mean, Pirates." I hear Mouth laugh out as I pass by his announcer booth with a smile.

"Peyton! Brooke! Wait up!" I shout, as I attempt to fight the mass of people.

"Nope." Peyton says with a shake of her head, pulling Brooke back away from me.

"What? Why not?" I ask, completely confused as to why my two best friends won't wait for me.

"Because you need to wait for Nathan and talk to him without distractions." She states simply, receiving a pout from Brooke and a grateful smile from me.

"Peyton! I wanted to watch!" Brooke whines out, stomping her foot like a spoiled five year old.

I smile at Peyton and mouth a 'thank you' as she drags Brooke further away from the now empty gym.

I sling my cheer bag over my shoulder and sit on the bleachers, a small smile still playing on my lips. I get lost in my thoughts of Nathan and the things to come until I feel the bleacher creak under the pressure of another body. I look up to see Nathan, his smile mirroring mine.

He does the cute little nod thing as his smile grows. "Hey you."

"Hey." I breathe out. I chuckle quietly, amused at the nervousness I feel.

"So…" he starts, his smile quickly transforming into that signature smirk.

I quirk my eyebrow. "What are you smirking at Scott?"

He shakes his head with a shrug. "You."

"May I ask why?" I ask, turning my body to better face him.

"You're just…so cute when you're nervous." He says with a gentle laugh.

I let out a scoff/laugh/giggle noise that slightly resembles the bark of a seal as I unsuccessfully attempt to keep the color from creeping into my cheeks.

"Okay Scott, let's get a couple of things straight. One, I am not nervous and two, don't call me cute, I'm not five."

Nathan nods in agreement but that damn smirk is still firmly in place.

"What?" I whine, finding it hard to concentrate on much else but the way he's looking at me.

"Nothing I just don't understand why I can't call my girlfriend cute." He says calmly.

"Because its-" I start before realizing what he just said. My confused grin grows into a full blown smile as I replay his last statement.

"Girlfriend?" I ask, trying to contain the excitement I feel inside.

He nods slowly, his once playful eyes turning serious. "Yeah, I mean – if that's what you want. I understand if you don't though, I really hurt you the other night and you have no idea how sorry I am, I didn't mean to confuse you Haley I just-"

"Nathan." I say, hoping that interrupting him will allow him the opportunity to catch his breath.

"What?" he breathes out.

"Shut up." I say before pulling his face to mine in a slow, gentle kiss. I think my heart might explode when I feel his hand come around my waist and pull me closer to his side. As the kiss deepens, he brings his free hand to gently graze my face, which I allow myself to lean into. I lace my arms around his neck tighter, running my hands through his short hair as he lets out a quiet moan.

We break apart breathlessly, never dropping our eye contact as he rests his forehead against mine.

"I love you." He whispers out, and that's it. That's all I needed. Those three simple words set me free from every worry and concern I have.

"I love you too." I say with a smile, placing another sweet, short kiss on his lips.

"Let's get out of here." He says as he grabs my hand. I nod, placing my cheer bag back on my shoulder and walking toward the door with him.

"So I have a question." Nathan says as we walk towards his Tahoe.

"I have an answer." I say.

"Of course you do, you're tutor girl." He says with a laugh as I playfully pout, pulling my hand away from him.

"Aww, I'm sorry. I love my tutor girl." He says, wrapping his arms around my waist, walking behind me. And just like that, the mock anger falls away, All he has to say is 'I love you' and he'd get away with murder.

"You better. Now, what was your question?" I ask, lacing my fingers through his.

"Well, back there, you said I couldn't call you cute. Why not?" He asks, sounding completely innocent.

"Because, little girls are cute. Puppies, kittens…those are cute. Teenage girls do not want to be called cute." I state as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"So what can I call you?" he asks.

I shrug. "I don't know, something grown up, classy."

"Hmmm…" he says, tapping his finger on his chin as if in deep thought. "Can I call you pretty?"

"Too boring." I smile with a shrug, catching on to his game.

"You don't seem too happy with that one. How about sexy?" he asks, dropping a whisper of a kiss against my neck, causing chills to run down my spine.

"Eh." I let out with a giggle.

"How about…lovely?" he asks again, placing another kiss, equally as soft, to my cheek.

"That's okay I guess." I say flatly, trying my best to control myself.

"Better huh? Well how about…perfect? Beautiful? Gorgeous?" He asks, placing a feather soft kiss to my lips.

"Mmmm, how about Haley?" I say, resting my head against his shoulder to look up at him.

"Okay. My Perfect, beautiful, gorgeous Haley." He says with a smile. I lean up to kiss him gently, slowly turning in his arms.

"I've loved you forever Nathan Scott." I whisper softly in his ear. He leans down to whisper in mine, his mouth so close I can feel him smiling.

"I'm always going to love you Haley James."

**_Okay guys and gals…that was it for the chapter. Hope it was worth the wait. Now as warning, that was technically the last chapter. The next one will be the epilogue which you guys actually get to vote on. I can either write about prom or graduation. So if/when you review, let me know which one you'd rather see, and that's what I'll write. Thanks again for reading. I love all of my reviews tremendously! I miss you lots Fatima and love you more! And as always, my sweet baby James._**


	19. Please Remember

**_Okay kiddies, you ready for this? The final chapter of "How Do I Get There?". It's sad, I know. This story is definitely my baby and I can't believe it's ending, but I want to thank all of my readers/reviewers, new and old for being completely awesome. You guys are what kept me going throughout this whole story, and I hope that you're proud to have contributed to this story. As always, I have to thank and dedicate this one to Fatima, you have been my rock and my inspiration throughout this process and I'm so lucky to call you my friend. Love ya girly! Just so everyone knows, the flashbacks are in Italics. So without further ado, here is the final chapter of "How Do I Get There?"._**

_(6 months later)_

_Haley's POV _

_Okay, so I was never really one for public speaking, so sitting up here, on this stage, it's killing me man. I have 300-something people just staring at me, why are they staring at me?!? Oh, haha yeah…I'm supposed to be talking._

"Faculty, parents, friends and, most importantly, Tree Hill class of 2007, welcome. Today we gather here to celebrate the ending of one chapter and the beginning of the next. Parents, I know you're probably thinking you can't believe how fast time has gone by; students, I know you're probably wishing it would go a little faster." I smile as I pause for the scattered laughter. I grip the edge of the podium a little tighter, attempting to calm my shaking hands.

"And as excited as I am to begin the next phase of my life, I too wish that time would slow, if only for a moment, so that I can take all this in. I look around today and with every face I see, I recall a memory, a story, an inside joke that we once shared. I treasure the last four years I've shared with all of you, even if we didn't really know each other."

I look around again, pausing to catch my breath, which I once again lose when my eyes catch a certain pair of baby blues. _Nathan._ We have been through so much together, going from friends, to best friends, to being in love. He winks at me, shaking me from my daze, reminding me I still have a speech to finish.

"Before I leave you with my final words, there are a few people I want acknowledge. My parents, of course; without them, I wouldn't be here. Lucas, you and I were destined to be friends, we've been through everything together; Rambo, practices SATs…headgear." I have to stifle a laugh as I watch Lucas' face turn a deep shade of red.

"I love you buddy, and I'm so excited to see what we go through together in the future." I navigate my eyes a few rows up to find a smiling at Jake.

"Jake, what to say about my Jake? I love you so much, you always were wise beyond your years. You're a loyal friend through and through, and I don't know what I'd do without you." I send Jake a wink in response to the 'thank you' he mouths.

"P. Sawyer and B. Davis, my crazy girls. I love both of you. We've had amazing times together, done everything together that best friends should; laugh, cry, cause a little trouble. I don't know where I'd be without the two of you, and I don't ever want to know. Here's to many more years of craziness. I love you girls!"

"We love you too Tutor Girl!" they both shout back, causing everyone in the audience to erupt in laughter. I shake my head and laugh, tears already glistening in my eyes as I turn to the last person on my list.

"Nathan." I start, my voice soft, but strong as I struggle to find the right words. "Nathan, you and I have been through so much together. Who would have thought ten years ago, this is where we would end up? You have been my rock, my inspiration, my guiding light through everything, even in the bad times. I love you more than words can describe, thank you for everything." I finish with a smile, tears threatening to spill as Nathan mouths 'I Love You.'

I clear my throat, smiling at Nathan one more time before turning my attention back to the audience. "Tree Hill Class of 2007, I leave you with these words 'Remember tonight, for it is the beginning of always.' Now…let's do this!" I shout in to the mic with a smile, clapping along with my peers as they yell in excitement.

The ceremony continues on, a few words from Principal Turner, a surprise retirement announcement that leaves everyone in tears, and then, of course, getting our diplomas.

_Nathan's POV_

I will never forget the way Haley looks as I sit here watching her cross the stage to get her diploma. Her smile wide, eyes glistening with happy tears. She looks beautiful. She is beautiful, and she's all mine. A few months ago, the thought of graduation scared me completely. Not because I feel safer in high school, not because basketball would be that much more demanding or because classes would be too hard. No, my fears all rested on that gorgeous petite blonde that's smiling at me from the stage. But all those fears vanished in one night, prom night.

_FLASHBACK (Nathan's POV)_

_The six of us stand in Karen Scott's living room, posing for countless pictures as the adults go on and on about how they can't believe their babies are growing up._

"_And we're all going to be eighty by the time we get to prom if you guys don't let us leave!" Lucas complains for the hundredth time to Karen, who simply snaps another picture. _

"_Luke man, chill, you sound more excited than the girls about this!" Jake says as he pats Lucas on the shoulder with a laugh._

"_I am not! I just wanna go!" Lucas whines, causing everyone to bust out laughing._

"_Babe you've been spending way too much time with me!" Brooke exclaims, leaning in with Peyton and Haley for a girls shot. As the adults go to switch out memory cards for what Lucas counted as the third time, Haley turns to face me and I know she can tell something's up, so I pull my eyes from hers, allowing them to roam anywhere but into those chocolate pools._

"_Hey you." She whispers, guiding my eyes to hers by softly grazing her hand across my cheek. _

_I smile back, knowing the smile fails to reach my eyes. "Hey." _

_Haley's eyes cloud with concern as she tugs at my hand. "Let's go outside for a minute."_

_I follow silently, amazed that no one notices us leaving. We get on to the porch and Haley wraps her arms around my waist, pulling herself to me. And as if they have a mind of their own, my arms snake themselves around her petite frame._

"_Talk to me Nate."_

"_About what?" I ask, quirking my eyebrow in confusion._

"_I don't know, whatever it is that's bothering you, and don't say it's nothing. I've known you since we were 7 and I know you better than most. What's wrong?"_

_I sigh, a sweet but sad smile playing at my lips as I gently sweep a stray piece of hair behind Haley's ear, letting my hand linger against her soft cheek._

"_I don't want to ruin your evening; can we talk about it later?" I ask, the desperation in my voice evident, pleading with my eyes for her to drop the subject._

_Haley lets out a soft sigh, standing on her tip toes to become eye to eye with me. "Yes, but we will talk later."_

_I nod. "Thank you. You look beautiful, did I tell you that?" I ask, attempting to cover up the worry on my face by sending her one of my signature Scott smirks. _

"_Only about half a million times." She says with a smile. "But I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell me one more time."_

"_Well then, you look beautiful." I say, letting out a low laugh before dipping my head to capture her lips in a sweet kiss. We pull apart when we hear the click of a camera. _

"_KAREN!" Haley shouts embarrassed, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink._

"_What?!? You two just looked so cute!" She shrugs with an innocent laugh. "Now come back inside so we can finish the group pictures before Lucas has a cow."_

_END FLASHBACK_

_Haley's POV_

_So you can't see me, but I'm smiling. And not just one of those 'I'm a normal happy teenager' smiles. No, this is a 'I'm in love with life and so freaking happy and who knew it was possible to be this in love' smile, yeah and Nathan's got one to match._

We're standing here on the beach, as Brooke's giving the commencement speech to kick off our school sponsored post-graduation party. Nathan's standing behind me, arms tightly wrapped around my waist, and I've never felt safer in my life.

"Okay guys, so I stood on this beach at the end of last summer telling you to enjoy your senior year, who knew it would've gone by so fast? But it was great and now here we are, GRADUATES!" she pauses for a moment to allow the group of excited teenagers to yell and scream.

"Yeah, but tonight, we celebrate four years together. Four years of drama, teachers, homework, kick ass basketball, friends, first loves, first…times." Brooke laughs out, her eyebrow kinking in that classic Brooke Davis way.

"So to help kick off the night we have a special treat. Your valedictorian, one of my bestest friends, Haley James!" Brooke yells, waving me towards the stage.

I turn in Nathan's arms, reaching up to place a kiss to his lips as he whispers good luck to me. I run up to the stage, crashing Brooke into a hug.

"Hey! So, this is a song I wrote especially for tonight, and it goes out to my favorite five people in the world; I love you guys." I say into the microphone as I situate myself at the keyboard. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, smiling slightly at the memory of the last time I did this.

_FLASHBACK (Haley's POV)_

"_Haley come on! PLEASE!" Peyton begged, pulling my arm to towards the stage. _

"_You guys no way, I got my fill of that last time." I exclaim, shaking my head and grasping Nathan's hand tighter to fight Peyton's pull. _

"_Tutor Girl, do this for us please please please! It's our senior prom, you have to sing!" Brooke exclaims, now helping Peyton in her efforts to dislocate my shoulder._

"_Nathan! Tell them I don't want to." I say exasperatedly, turning to him with pleading puppy dog eyes. _

_He looks at me, and inside, I'm doing a victory dance because I know I've won. Gotta love the puppy dog eyes, it gets 'em every time._

"_You guys, leave her alone." He says, pulling my arm away from the girls and wrapping his around my waist protectively. _

"_No fair!" Brooke exclaims, reaching for me as I stick my tongue out at her. "She used the puppy dog eyes!" _

_teehee, I win!_

_I simply shrug as the two girls go off to find their guys, who will probably get their ears talked off. Nathan waits until the girls are a safe distance away before turning me around in his arms so that I'm facing him._

"_Why thank you kind sir!" I exclaim with a satisfied smile._

"_Nu uh Hales, you knew you weren't going to get away with it that easy." He says with a shake of his head._

"_Nathan you can't possibly expect me to go up there. Been there, done that!" I whine out, burying my face in his chest as he chuckles at my immaturity._

"_Baby, I'm not going to force you to do it or pressure you about it, but you know this is something you should do. Something you want to do. Look how well it went the last time!" he whispers into my hair._

"_Yeah, so why mess up a perfect record?" I mutter._

"_Hales." He laughs out, but his eyes are serious. He has that look, the one he gets when he knows he's going to win. Damn that look. _

_I sigh, stomping my foot in frustration. "I don't even know what I would sing." _

_He smiles at me, the first genuine Nathan Scott smile of the night. "Sing what's in your heart."_

_I roll my eyes and his smile widens because he knows he's won. He always wins. _

_END FLASHBACK_

_Nathan's POV_

I watch Haley walk up to the stage, her hands shaking as if she has any reason at all to be nervous. She turns to look out at the crowd one more time, smile widening as our eyes connect.

_**Time, sometimes the time just slips away  
And your left with yesterday  
Left with the memories  
I, I'll always think of you and smile  
And be happy for the time  
I had you with me**_

A smile crosses my face as I recall the many times she sat at her keyboard, practicing that song. There was nothing else I'd rather do on Saturdays than to go to her house, lay on her bed and watch her as she sang.

_**Though we go our separate ways  
I won't forget so don't forget  
The memories we made**_

I turn to watch Peyton's reaction, her eyes shining with tears as she watches Haley. Peyton and Jake both decided to go to Savannah College of Art and Design and Peyton's still coming to terms with the fact that now she is the one leaving.

_**Please remember, please remember  
I was there for you  
And you were there for me   
Please remember, our time together  
The time was yours and mine  
And we were wild and free  
Please remember, please remember me**_

Haley's voice soars through the microphone, the power and emotion in it running chills down my spine, the same way it did the last time she sang.

_FLASHBACK (Nathan's POV)_

_I applaud loudly as Haley walks off the stage, handing the acoustic guitar she graced with her hands back to the sound manager. I begin to fight the crowd to get to her, but I'm cut short when out of no where, Brooke and Peyton practically jump her._

"_AH! H. James that was awesome! Where'd you get that song from?" Peyton asks, her brain automatically going into musical rolodex mode. _

_Haley shrugs, a light blush crossing her cheeks. "I don't know, it's just something I wrote. Nothing special."_

_Brooke stares at her, jaw open. "Nothing special? Singer girl that was kick ass!" _

_As the girls begin to calm down, the DJ starts playing a slow song. I silently thank Lucas and Jake as they retrieve their dates so that I can have mine._

"_Hey you." She says, draping her arms around my neck as we slowly sway back and forth._

"_Hey. You were amazing Hales, I'm really proud of you." I say, capturing her lips with mine in a slow, mind blowing kiss. When we pull apart, she nuzzles her face in to my neck, allowing me to take in her sweet smell. We dance like that for what seems forever, and I close my eyes, wishing that we could always be like this. Just me and Haley, always and forever. _

_As if she senses that I'm worrying again, she slowly lifts her head so that her eyes once again meet mine. _

"_Can we talk now?" she asks softly, and I know she's not trying to pressure me, she's just worried. I nod silently leading her back to our vacant table, knowing it's not fair to let her worry all night._

_We get back to the table and I sit, expecting her to sit across from me, but in true Haley fashion she surprises me by sitting down across my lap._

"_What's wrong Nate?" _

_END FLASHBACK_

_Haley's POV_

_**Goodbye, there's just no sadder word to say  
And it's sad to walk away  
With just the memories**_

I close my eyes as I allow the song to climax, releasing all my emotions. I started writing this song a couple of weeks after prom. The six of us decided to all get together one night and each announce to one another what school we had chosen. After that night, emotions throughout our small group ran rampant, allowing my musical juices to flow in excess.

I open my eyes as I come up to the next phrase of the song, locking eyes with my blue eyed love, knowing I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him.

_**Who's to know what might have been  
We'll leave behind a life and time  
We'll never know again**_

_**Please remember, please remember  
I was there for you  
And you were there for me  
And remember, please remember me**_

_FLASHBACK (Haleys POV)_

_I look into his worried eyes, wondering what I can do to make them shine with their normal happiness._

"_Nathan?" I ask again._

"_I'm just worried." He states simply, shrugging it off to not be a big deal._

"_Really? Cause I would have never guessed." I state with a sarcastic smile on lips. _

"_Hardy har. Seriously Hales, it's fine, let's just dance and have fun." He says, attempting to move me from his lap but I don't budge._

"_First of all, the only kind of dancing you're allowed to do in public with me is slow dance, and you'd look awfully funny doing that to Fall Out Boy. Secondly, you're not fine, talk to me babe." I say, knowing the first statement will make him smile._

"_I just…I'm worried about college." He states so softly, I almost missed it. _

"_What? Why? It can't be your grades, I'm your tutor and you're doing fine. And you're a shoe-in for multiple basketball scholarships." I say, listing off all the possible things that he could be worried about._

"_Okay, let me reword this, I'm worried about you." He says, his intense gaze focused upon my face. _

"_Why are you worried about me?" I ask, still completely confused as to what the problem is._

_He sighs, and I know he's frustrated just by the way he rakes his hand roughly through his hair. "Not you, like…you. Just…you, me, us. College, what are we going to do Haley?"_

"_Oh." I breathe out, finally understanding the situation._

"_Like, you're dream is Stanford, mine was Duke but-"_

"_Was?" I ask, wondering when his dream of playing ball at Duke changed. For as long as I had known him, that had been the plan._

"_Yeah, was. I just, I love basketball, and I love Duke. But…I love you more than either. I don't want us to be separated. I don't even like the fact that you sit two rows away in Spanish, I couldn't handle you being 6 states away!" he says, clearly exasperated. _

_I'm so speechless so I say the first thing that comes to mind. "You counted how many states were between California and North Carolina?" _

"_Haley!" he exclaims in frustration as his shoulders slump. I smack my palm to my forehead, knowing that was the worst thing to say._

"_I'm sorry Nate, I just…I don't know what to say." I whisper softly, unwanted tears slowly filling my eyes._

_He sighs, rubbing his thumb across my cheek as a few tears spill over. _

"_It's okay, I just…please tell me you've thought about this." He says._

"_Of course I have, I just try to push to the back of my mind so I don't constantly worry about it, but yeah…I've thought about it a lot." I say._

"_Well? What do you think? I have no problem going to California with you, I'd just have to go to a community college. Even with a sexy ass tutor, my grades aren't good enough for Stanford." He says trying to lighten the mood._

"_Nathan, I love you more than anything, but…I don't want you to go to California." I say, swiping the tears from my face only to allow more to fall._

"_What?" he asks me breathlessly, pulling away when I try to snake my arm around his neck. "Haley, after all we've been through, ten years of friendship, the 'falling out', our getting together…you don't want to be with me?" _

"_No, Nathan that's not it, it's just-" I start but once again he cuts me off._

"_It's just that what?" he asks, the pain and confusion evident as his voice quivers._

"_It's just that if you go to California then we'll still be six states away from each other, 'cause I'll be at Duke." I say as a small smile breaks through my tears._

"_Damnit Haley. I don't under…wait, what?" he asks, shock written all across his face. _

"_I got my acceptance letter last week, I was going to tell you tonight after prom. I'm going to Duke with you Nathan, I wouldn't survive without my heart." I say simply, and before he can even think of a response, his lips crash on to mine, releasing so much passion that I think had I been standing, my feet would've gone from under me._

_END FLASHBACK_

_Nathan's POV_

As I stand there, watching Haley come close to ending the song, I feel two arms snake around mine on either side of me. I look down to find Brooke and Peyton staring up at me, goofy grins on their faces and tears in their eyes. Lucas and Jake are next to them shaking their heads in laughter, but they have the same goofy grin. I chuckle as I pull my arms from the girls and wrap them around their shoulders, placing a light kiss atop each of their heads.

"You two are such pansies." I say to them, receiving a pinch to either side of my chest.

"Shut up Nate. Peyton's still coping with the whole, not going to be here thing and my tears are tears of pride. Our little girl's growing up." Brooke says as she sniffles. Brooke and Lucas both decided upon UNC. Lucas because he wants to be closer to his parents and of course, his awesome brother and Brooke because she wants to be with Lucas.

I shake my head in amusement as I turn my eyes back to Haley who has her eyes closed, putting all she has into the last few phrases of the song.

_**And how we laugh and how we smile  
And how this world was yours and mine  
And how no dream was out of reach  
I stood by you, you stood by me **_

Haley slowly opens her eyes, immediately spotting the five of us in the crowd. Her smile widens as she continues to belt out the lyrics, shaking her head softly at the two girls wrapped in my arms. I wink up to her, mouthing 'I love you' which, to my great joy, only makes her smile more. _God I love this girl._

_Haley's POV_

I pull my eyes from Nathan's for the last time, allowing the last phrase of the song to pass softly through my lips, knowing that for five specific people, the words hold so much power.

_**We took each day and made it shine  
We wrote our names across the sky  
We ride so fast, we ride so free  
And I had you and you had me**_

_**Please remember, Please remember**_

I finnish the song as soft as I started it, lingering at the mic for a moment before pulling back and facing my favorite five people, two of which are crying, two others clapping loudly, while the last one just stands their smiling, pride shining from his eyes as he watches me come down from the stage.

And once again, before I can get to Nathan, the girls pounce. I hug them both back, allowing my tears of happiness to mix with theirs. When we've finally had our moment of girliness, I pull away, searching for that pair of baby blues I just can't get enough of.

"Hey you." He whispers into my ear softly before leaving a kiss there, his hands automatically on my waist.

"Hi." I say, turning in his arms to face him. "What did you think?"

He smiles, a smile that could melt my heart over and over again. "I think all that practicing you did paid off."

"Thank you." I say, feeling a slight blush graze my cheek as he leans down to kiss me.

"So guys, this is it…we're officially out of high school." Lucas says as he walks up to us with his arm wrapped around Brooke.

"Oh shut up Lucas! We still have the whole summer, don't start with that already!" Peyton whines out, causing the rest of us to laugh.

"Haley, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't P. Sawyer over here the one counting down the days until graduation?" Brooke asks me with a smirk.

I nod. "Yeah I believe she said 'I get excited about the first day of school because it means that I have one less day that I have to go there.' And that's a direct quote ladies and gentlemen." I say, hiding behind Nathan as Peyton swats at me.

"Shut up you guys!" Peyton says, sticking her tongue out at the two of us.

"Oh come on Peyton, you're going to Savannah, you'll still be close." I say, looping my arm around her neck.

"Yeah I know. I just, all you guys will be closer together, I just don't want you to forget us." She whimpers out, causing Brooke and I to burst out into a round of 'awwws'.

"Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, there is no way we could ever forget you." Brooke says in a scolding manner.

"Yeah." I start. "I mean, where else would I get my music connections?" I ask jokingly and start running when Peyton comes after me.

She chases me around the beach until Jake catches her and begins tickling her. I sprint safely into the arms of Nathan, who's laughter is dying down.

"Hey." He starts, guiding my eyes to meet him. "I love you. I love you more than anything, and I'm so happy you're going to Duke with me, but are you sure it's what you want?" he asks, his eyes serious once again.

I smile softly, admiring the man in front of me. _God I love this boy. _I graze the back of my hand across his cheek and I feel my smile widen when he leans into my touch.

"I love you too Nathan, and baby, believe me, I'd go any where with you…just tell me how to get there." I say, and before he can say another word, I pull his face to mine, our lips crashing together, hearts colliding. This is the way I want it, this is the way it'll always be, Nathan and Haley, Haley and Nathan. Always. Always and forever.

_**Ohhhkkkayy…so that was extremely long. But that's it guys, I hope you like it and enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for all the support and all the feedback, it means the world to me! Fatima, you are a jewel I love you and Sweet Baby James to the moon and back (and back and back…yeah, you know what I'm talking about!) **_

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